Fire on Water
by 7-KHPrincessKairi-7
Summary: Kairi's crush isn't who Selphie said it was. Now they're enemies and Kairi still has to deal with her real crush. Besides that, she has a future arrangement with a boy she doesn't know. Read and Review! *Completed*
1. Problem Number 1

**Author's Note: Okay, It's Nicole, the "Kairi" in our penname. I'm also the one writing **_**Moonshine. **_** Anyway, this fanfic is a rivalry between me and "Selphie." Lol. All in fun. See, she created the one where Kairi was a jerk, so now I'm turning the tables. This time I'm changing POVs. So, rate, and be honest. (meaning say mine's better. Jk!) :-D. We appreciate all you readers do for us! **

**Author's Note: The name of the story is mainly just cuz I like it. Besides that, though I need a reason. Kairi's name means "water," of course. Sora has the Light Keyblade. A major source of light is fire. And like Fire on Water, this is really interesting. Bad or not, I don't know, but it's still interesting. Lol. No, Sora's not on Kairi. Lol. **

**CHAPTER I: PROBLEM NUMBER 1**

**Kairi's POV: **(font, Sylfaen) Introductory

I wake up and stretch after turning off my alarm clock. Good dream… Sora and I really took that raft together by ourselves. I giggle. It's too stupid. Yeah, he's my best friend, but it's still stupid… Since we've entered high school… he's been hanging around more _guys_. I really don't have much more "real" friends. I mean, I'm popular and happy, but I still want that special _something_. I haven't found it yet. But I'm really curious if it could be in Sora or Riku. Riku… Selphie likes Riku. I remember that. Even if I do still hate her. You see, we _were _best friends. Even before high school. At the beginning of the year, just a couple weeks ago, she told our star Blitzball player, Seifer, that I liked him. The truth is, he's a jerk. He's conceited and arrogant. Just plain annoying. He's also the most popular guy in school. Sora blitzes and he's good, but it's not his main thing. It's the only sport he plays but he's also involved with other academics, like community service. I pulled him into it, really. I used the excuse that I would be lonely and bored if he didn't come. People were asking us all day if we were "together," but we're just best friends. Kind of. His real best friend is Riku. I just kind of tag along, but they don't leave me out either. I smile. Okay. So maybe we all three make the best of friends. But Riku and I don't talk outside of hanging out with Sora. He and Sora talk, Sora and I talk, but we don't. Some times I wish I could change that.

Anyway, it's Monday. Another school day to go. I drag myself out of bed and into the shower. After I get dressed, I brush my teeth, do my hair, put on make-up, all that fun stuff. My outfit is, of course, the school uniform. Required for both guys and girls. Although, the boys wear kaki pants and a blue, plaid tie with a white button-up shirt. Riku, on the other hand, defies this tradition. Well, if it's not him, then it's one of the group of boys he hangs out with _other _than Sora. In fact, I don't think they like Sora at all. The group calls themselves the Jaguars. I don't like any of the boys to be honest except for Riku. But then again, I've known him my whole life. I go to the kitchen and sit in a chair for a few moments before getting up and making a bowl of cereal. Mom's probably still asleep. I have a dad, too. I've just never really met him. Mom says when I turn 18, since I'm a princess, I have to return to Radiant Garden and start fulfilling my duties there. And I'm already promised a husband, so I don't know why I bother here with boys. Or why I bother at all. I finish my cereal and go outside. As I walk down the road, the bus passes me. I don't ride the bus because it's too loud, too crowded, and people act completely inappropriate, so I walk. I feel kind of bad for Sora, though. He lives on the island. He has to take his boat and then catch the bus. I think I'd ask to be home-schooled.

I finally get to school. I have 5 of 8 classes with Sora, because he's in my grade as well, except he's older in the way that I was born the year before in April and he was born the year after me in the summer. I go to my first period class. It's English. I sit in the front of the room to the left, and Sora sits back with his Athletic friends in the back/middle of the room toward the right wall. I sit with the cheerleaders. I _am _a cheerleader, after all. Not the captain, but it's fun and a good hobby. It's _my _only sport.

"Hey, Kairi." One of my friends, Shelinda says.

"Hey," I reply. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She slumps.

"What's wrong?"

"My boyfriend and I are in another fight. He didn't txt me back yesterday and when I asked him what was wrong, he blew up."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help, but _I've _never…"

"I know…" She perks up. "We need to get you a boyfriend."

I'm surprised. "What?!"

"Yeah. You'd be cute with the right guy. Heck, you'd be cute with just about any guy."

I giggle. "Yeah, sure." I haven't told anyone about Sora. He's just a friend anyway. I don't like him like that. We're just close. He and Riku are the only one's that I almost told my secret to. I'm a princess. No one here knows that. It's my secret.

**Sora's POV: **(font, Trebuchet MS) Getting to know Sora

I laugh with my friends, Tidus and Wakka. This is really stupid. They show me a video on their phone of some ventriloquist show. It's a dead pirate. He says he accidentally blew himself up with a cannon. It's hilarious. The video ends and I look up and over at where my friend, Kairi sits in English. I swallow. I've been having these weird dreams. They're only natural, but I've dreamt about girls before. Never like this. I've had dreams where I kiss the girls, but not to where we do anything more sexual. And why her? I've known her practically my whole life. She's a really good friend. But still, she just looks so pretty. I tear myself away from fear of staring. I'm not going to do anything. She's too good a friend. I don't wanna lose her to a stupid relationship that will not work out. Not likely anyway. I feel a vibration in my pants. I jump and pull out my phone. That did not feel very good right now. I read the txt. It's from Riku, my best guy friend.

"_Hey man, wer skiping this period. wanna come?"_

I never go. He knows that. I txt him back. _"Nah, its cool."_

He txts back, _"Ok, c u latr"._ Riku's a year older than me, and a year ahead of me. He's a sophomore, so he has some older friends already. It's cool. It created some problems last year, with me still in middle school and him a freshman, but we were still pretty close. Last summer we were gonna try to build a raft to see if there were other worlds outside this world. It didn't work out. We had a storm… and all that kind of stuff. Kairi was going to come too. Tidus turns to me.

"Have you ever seen that before?"

"Nope." I reply.

Wakka pipes up. "You in the dark, man."

I rub the back of my head. "Yeah, I know."

"But you're still one of the best blitzers on the team. You playing again this year?" Tidus always helps me out.

"I plan to." I notice a chill and put on my letterman's jacket. It says "Fischer" on the back, because it's my last name and what most of the jocks call me. I'm not a jock, but our star player on the team is. The teacher goes to the front of the room after about 5 minutes since the bell rang for class and starts to teach the lesson. We open our grammar books and begin studying how to diagram a sentence. English is my good subject, so I decide to take a nap.

**Kairi's POV: **Reasoning

I try to pay attention in English. That's why I sit at the front. I hate this subject. I _speak _English, and I don't sound stupid. Isn't that good enough? How am I supposed to diagram a sentence? It makes no sense. I look over at where Sora sits. He'll help me out. But he's asleep… Great… I'll get the answers from him later. I don't see the point in diagramming a sentence anyway. It can't be put to everyday life. This is just a piece of the "junk" teachers have to teach us. I slump, wishing I were in math class. That's my good subject. I'm also pretty good in science. Our class is taking Biology this year. Next year we take Chemistry and then Physics. I'm looking forward to Physics. Now _that's _something you can put in everyday life. I suffer the through the end of class.

**Sora's POV: **The Dream

I sit with Kairi on the beach now. The sun is setting and lighting up the sky in beautiful pinks, purples and reds. She nudges me playfully.

"_C'mon, Sora!"_ She gets up and takes off running into the ocean.

"_Huh?"_ I laugh and follow her, taking off my shirt for swimming. It's hot and it's sure to be refreshing. She stumbles on something and falls down. I trip on her and land on top of her. We laugh and I get up. She giggles at me and suddenly stops. She looks at me intently. In a second, I have her face cupped in my hands and I'm kissing her passionately. She takes off her shirt revealing her swimsuit top. I kiss her more. My hands travel to her back and untie her top. It falls in the water. She wraps her arms around my neck as we kiss and I pick her up a little.

I'm nudged. "Sora! Get up!" It's Tidus.

I wake up with a shock. I breathe hard. It's like I was caught. But there's no way anyone else could have seen that dream, right? Why are they becoming more frequent? Why are they always the same person? I've made some hard decisions. Decisions the guys tease me for really bad. I want to wait for that stuff until I get married. And the real reason is, is because people don't think a _guy _could possibly wait that long. I'm determined to prove them wrong. Kairi wants to wait too… We talked about this before, but her reasoning was different. She never told me why, though…

"_I'm meeting my dad one day,"_is all she said. It makes no sense to me. So what if she meets her dad? Good for her. _"I'm not supposed to do that. …It just isn't an option." _Why not?

Whatever the reason, I ignore. I finish my work fast and put it in my book. Kairi and I have PFD next period. It's Personal Family Development. Whatever that means. It's a class. The bell rings and I hurry out the door.

I get to PFD and sit in my chair. I put my book and backpack under and beside my desk. The teacher hates me bringing a backpack, but she can get over it. I get up and grab a classroom set text book and sit back down in my seat. Again, I sit toward the back corner of the room so I'm not noticed so much. Kairi sits a few rows over and up two desks. She comes in shortly after most of the people have come in and taken their seats. She comes up to me.

"Can I use your answers for the English homework? I really don't get it. It's really stupid."

I smirk. That's funny. "It's not stupid. It's easy. It's just remembering where the nouns and verbs and stuff go."

"Well, I don't get it. Please?" She goes to get it. I grab the book first and decide to give her a hard time about it.

"I don't think so." I hide the book behind my back. She reaches around me with both arms to try to grab it. It fails. Then I become very aware that she's pressed up against me. She's on her tip-toes trying to reach. And then, I become even more aware of the guys eye's that I sit with watching her. And I'm not talking about the situation. They're checking her out. I stop, realizing I was the cause of those three things. I hand her the paper.

She huffs fakely, unaware of the circumstance. "Thank you." She says, pleased. I try to pretend like nothing just happened, so I don't worry her. But then, I'm not sure of what to do. I just sit down and think. I start to become really angry with myself. She's a _friend_. Why should I care if guys check her out? I do. Crap. What? I do? Since when? That's weird. I can't even remember when. Crap! Crap! Crap! I can't like her! I can't! I bang my head on the desk, but try to make the least noticeable sound. I feel so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Sadly, I draw attention from one of my other friends.

"What's wrong with you?" Rex asks.

"Nothing." I reply.

"Uh… huh…" He said, disbelieving.

"Whatever." I lay my head the opposite direction, not trusting myself enough to fall asleep again. I wait until work is passed out for me to do, and I do it. Then I go back to my stupid-pity-party. At least, until I'm poked. I look over.

"Sorry. Just seeing if you were asleep." Rex says. He's really starting to get on my nerves. "But are you and Kairi together now or something?"

I'm suddenly wide awake now. "No." I almost exclaimed that…

"Really, 'cuz earlier you two seemed…"

"So? That doesn't mean anything. We're friends. Ask her. She'll say the same thing."

"Okay, okay. Jeez."

I must have snapped at him. "Sorry, but I'm just tired of people saying crap about that, I guess. They're always telling us we should go out. Or asking us if we are. And then telling us to."

He laughs. "Then maybe you should think about it. She's hott."

"She's been my friend since the first grade!"

**Kairi's POV: **Defending and Revealing

I'm not stupid. I know when I'm being talked about. I hear _Rex_, one of the jockey jerks, talking to Sora, pounding him about our relationship. And I can hear his responses clear as day. I slump. Apparently he really doesn't care about me. He's just sick of the responses people have been coming to us with. Fine. I can back off. After all, they were starting to really get on my nerves too. Anyway, I finish up my work after having copied Sora's work onto mine. I threw some random stuff in there, too, just to try to confuse the teacher. Keep us both outta trouble. He should appreciate that. I turn in my paper and grab Sora's work to give it back to him. As I walk up, Rex stops me.

"Okay, Kairi. Do you like Fischer?"

I'm stunned now. "Huh?" I take a glance at him. His head is hung, so I can't see his expression. "He's like my best friend. So, yeah. I guess I do."

"No," he says. "Do you really _like _him?"

"You mean…" I knew what he meant the first time. "Like I said. He's my friend. I love him. I wouldn't give him up for anything." Rex squints at me as if unsure. "Got a problem?"

He smirks. "Nope." I'm taken aback. What did I do? He knows. How? I didn't say anything. Maybe it was my demeanor, or disposition. How did I give it away? Still, I'm going to play it off. Hopefully it's not as evident to Sora.

**Author's Note: Okay, so that was my first chapter. Pretty self-explanatory. Sorry for the monotonous structure, but it **_**is **_**the first chapter. Meaning, more to come and more excitement! As you may have noticed, I put different fonts to help distinguish the characters a little better in the different POVs. Such as Kairi's lady-likeness, and Sora's laid-back style. My computer doesn't offer a whole lot of different fonts, but I really like the ones I picked out. I hope you did too. Rate! I'm in competition! XD!**


	2. The Surprise

**CHAPTER II: THE SURPRISE**

**Sora's POV:**Protectiveness

Somehow, second period ends and I trace to third period. Thankfully, this is _not _a class I have with Kairi. Unfortunately, I wish I did. It's Algebra I. I hate math. Who gives a crap about it? Kairi does… _"Why can't I forget about her now?"_ I slump in my chair. This is gonna be a bad day… Maybe I can get Kairi to help me with it at lunch. _"…What am I thinking? She doesn't even sit with me. That'd be so weird. Especially with what happened last period."_I slump again. Stupid class… And what's worse is that the "star" player, failed math last year. He's in this class with me. He's supposed to be a sophomore like Riku. Actually, I think he also failed his freshman year too. That would explain why he's been on the team for three years now. I smirk. He's so stupid…

I sit down and lean back in my chair. _"Okay, so I won't fall asleep in school anymore. It's embarrassing anyway. Waking up after one of those dreams…" _

Seifer comes in and sits down next to me. Why?

"Just talked to Red again. You know, Kairi?" He says. "You know who she is?"

"We're friends. Yeah."

He smirks. "You know she likes me?"

I shake my head in disbelief. "Kairi… No."

He smiles proudly. "She won't tell me it herself, but it's really obvious."

Okay, now I know this is a bunch of crap. "I don't think Kairi likes anyone right now. We're really good friends. I'd know if she did. She tells me everything." Everything except _something_. It really gets on my nerves. Why won't she tell me?

"Then I guess you're not _that _good of friends with her. She's crazy about me."

I try to keep myself from laughing. "Yeah. So what did you say to her?"

He smiles, pleased with himself. "Just flirted a little. Grabbed her butt. Man, she has a nice ass."

I involuntarily stiffen. _"He touched her?"_I clutch my fists. _"I wanna…"_I deliberately un-clench my fists. Why would I want to hit him?

"What's up?" He asks me.

I remember to breathe. "Nothing."

"You turned a little red. You mad or something?"

I sigh, irritated. "Yeah. I guess I am a little. It's nothing though. I'll get over it."

"Was it something I said?"

I force a laugh. "About Kai-Kairi? Nah." I swallow. That was a lie.

"Uh-huh."

"But what'd she say when you grabbed her?" I don't wanna know.

"Nothing. She didn't do anything either. That's how I know."

"_She didn't do anything? Kairi…"_

**Kairi's POV: **Health

I sit in my Japanese class. It's my foreign language credit. Whatever. It's pretty easy. But that's not what's bothering me. That stupid "star" player that even isn't that good, grabbed me before class. It's stupid Selphie's fault. This is one of the only classes I have with her. I glare at her. She notices, but ignores me. Why would she say something like that to him when we were supposed to be best friends? And what's better? That jerk is probably bragging to every guy in that class. Not that I have a big head, but that's what the jocks here to with _any _girl. And still that doesn't really bother me. …What bothers me is what he might be saying to Sora. I sigh. Oh well. Next period I have Health with him. I'll talk to him then. We have C lunch, though so we eat after class. Not the best, but it's good. I suffer all class long. I wanted to hit him for touching me. The next guy who does that, I'm going to get so in his face _everyone _will be too scared to touch me like that again.

Anyway, the bell rings. 4th period. Yay. I drag to class, but Seifer comes up to me.

"Hey, Kairi." I keep walking. "You're just gonna ignore me?"

I turn to him, irritated. "What?!"

"Jeez… I was just gonna ask if you wanted me to walk you to class."

"No. I don't need your help to get to class." I said with an attitude.

"Alright. Fine then. Can I have your number?"

I turn and glare at Selphie. I know she's watching. She's nosy as heck. "I'd rather not. I don't care what Selphie told you, but I don't like you. I like someone else." I said that without thinking…

"Oh really? Who?"

"None of your business." He grabs me by my arm as I try to walk away and pulls me close violently.

"I don't play the hard-to-get game," he grunts.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not playing it, isn't it?" I'm not backing down. I have a brother who's taught me never to back down. But he's living with dad, so we only email. He's sent me pictures, though. I love him a lot. Anyway, Seifer pushes me away from himself.

"Whatever." He walks off. I feel a grab on my butt again. I turn around to face the guy. It's a senior. He's laughing about it with a friend. I stand up to them.

"Why do you guys always have to do that?!" I demand. They stop laughing, but still find it humorous.

"What's wrong with it, baby?"

I knee him in the groin. "The next time someone does that to me, I'm pressing charges. You're lucky I'm not doing it now." I leave him, crouching on the ground in pain and go to Health.

Once I get there, I take my seat next to Sora. He's really the only one I know in this class but _Selphie_. Again. It sucks, but it's the truth. I get up and grab the class text book. The only books we carry around here are for our core classes. Anyway, I barely make it in time for the tardy bell.

"What took so long?" Sora asks me.

"Some jerk in the hallway." I say, hoping he'd prompt.

"What happened?" He bit!

"A senior grabbed me. Before last period, Seifer grabbed me. But this time I hurt the guy and threatened that the next time someone does that, I'm pressing charges."

"You should do it anyway. Do it to Seifer if you want."

"_Does he want Seifer to get in trouble? _Was he bragging about it last period?"

He looks down so I can't see his face. "Yeah." He sounds angry.

"What's wrong?" Now I'm worried about him.

He looks up at me with anger in his eyes. I was right. "He won't do that again. Okay? If he does…"

"Sora, I know you're my friend, but really. Don't worry about it. I'm taking care of it." I smile. I wasn't expecting that. He just cares about me. I appreciate it. But it doesn't help with my crush. But we're probably better off as friends anyway.

The teacher starts speaking to the class at her desk.

"Okay. I want you to pick _one _partner. We're going to do a project." I look to Sora. He shrugs, agreeing to be my partner. I only wish he really were…

"_Wait! What are we studying in here?!" _I think back… _"No! No, no, no! Anything but that!"_The teacher says something and I snap back, just hearing what Sora says back.

"We'll go first!"

"_Crap! Just like him to want to get it over with!"_

The teacher responds. "Okay, thank you, Sora. Could you and your partner please get in the middle of the room?" We get up and move.

"So what are we doing?" He asks.

"We're practicing CPR." The teacher responds. I close my eyes. I don't want to see his reaction. But I hear the class "eeewww"ing at us mockingly. I open my eyes and Sora looks to me, not sure what he should say.

**Sora's POV: **The Kiss

I had no idea what I was doing when I volunteered to go first. I don't even pay attention in this class. Kairi looks like she had just figured it out before the teacher told us what we were doing. The teacher informs us finally, as our class has come to expect from her, that we're going to be trading off positions.

She teases us as well. "And since the class is so interested in your choices for partners, Kairi will be the dummy first." I look back at her and her eyes close again.

"_What is she thinking? Heck! What am I going to do?!"_ I take a breath and hold it. I decide to tease her. "C'mon, Kairi. I'd save your life any day. We can do this. _"Was that a flirt? If it was, I didn't mean to. I hope."_ But she smiles embarrassedly anyway.

"Alright." She lays on the ground. "I'm dead." I knee down beside her and swallow. She closes her eyes. I take her wrist to "feel" for a pulse, then check her neck.

I yell. "We need a doctor!" As described in the book. I trace down her ribs, careful not to touch anything else. I'm shaking. I find the spot and pretend to do compressions. I take a deep breath, because I know what I have to do now. I hold her knows and open her mouth with the other hand. I breathe into her some. Careful, because it's not a good thing to do to a conscious person. Although I'm more worried about not getting carried away with it. I don't, thankfully. I come back up and do more compressions. I breathe into her again. It's not fair to call it a real kiss, because it really is nothing like a kiss except for the fact that our lips touch. That's enough for me. I do more compressions and the teacher tells me to stop. I saved her. I look away before she can see my reaction.

**Kairi's POV: **A Change

I hope he didn't notice me sink every time his lips touched mine. I just kept melting into the floor, wishing for more. Once I thought I felt it, but I know it's just my imaginations. Besides, we really are better off as friends. We switch positions, not saying anything to each other.

I yell for the doctor and begin practicing CPR. I trace his ribs, finding that it's hard. Not finding his ribs, but that his stomach gets hard. Well, of course I knew that. I give him hugs. I've seen him with no shirt. We've been friends forever. When he started really getting in shape, he didn't wear a shirt for weeks outside of school. Even in the winter. But now I just want to rest my head on his chest. I want to be held by… _"What am I thinking? I'm supposed to be giving him CPR!"_ Luckily while I think, I can administer CPR too, or else I would look really stupid right now. After I breathe into him again, the teacher tell me to stop. I pull away and Sora's arms come up and take me by the neck with one and the waist with the other, bringing me back down. I go willingly, knowing what's going to happen.

**Author's Note: Now that's a hangar! Rate please! Just wait until Chapter III! If I don't get any reviews, I guess I'll just leave it at the hangar… hmm… I really don't want to.**


	3. Problem Number 2

**CHAPTER III: PROBLEM NUMBER 2**

**Author's Note: Before this chapter, I'd like to thank KHgrl-crystal for her review. You're my first! So, a special thank-you to you! Hope you enjoy what I do with it.**

**Sora's POV: **Surprise!

Right. Well… I suffered through that period. I slump. I ran out of there as soon as possible. Kairi didn't even speak to me until class ended and I avoided her. How am I supposed to explain that I couldn't kiss her? I'm too screwed up in the head right now to know _what _I really want to do. I knew I really wanted to kiss her. But that doesn't matter. Now I just have to suffer through lunch. She looks confused over there. I'm sure _I _look like the biggest jerk to her. She glances over at me every once in a while and I look away. But then I go right back to watching her. I feel like a jerk. But if I _am _going to kiss her. I wouldn't want our first kiss to be that kind of public display. I could hear the whole class hold their breath at what I was about to do. And then I changed my mind. _"Man! I'm worse than a girl!"_ I criticize myself more. _"Fine! I'll send her a txt and meet her after school to explain. Whatever happens, happens. I won't have any regrets. If I kiss her or if I don't. But I don't want to lose her friendship… It's already falling apart. If I keep acting like this I'll lose her for good. If I date her seriously and we don't work out, I'll still lose her. But I won't be able to stop the feelings I have for her. Looks like I lose either way. I'd rather things be awkward between us other than harsh."_I decide to break everything off with her. I look down. Great… Now I can't even look at her.

**Kairi's POV: **Topsy-Turvy

"_Why would he…? I thought that he…"_ I look over at him. Now he's looking down. He's been looking over here all period, and now he doesn't? I can tell he's been looking, because I can feel his eyes burning into me, trying to figure out what I'm thinking. Truth is… I don't know what to think. Everything's all topsy-turvy now. I don't it anymore. I look over to where Selphie sits. She's looking between me and Sora interestingly. _"__She can think whatever she wants."_Nothing can go on between me and Sora. I don't want to lose him. I love him. Dating him would just complicate everything. My crush on him isn't that serious anyway. _"No… I just think about him non-stop, compare every other boy to him, and have dreams of us running away together. It's not serious at all."_I'm being sarcastic with myself. I'm just confused. …What would Riku think? We're a trio. If Sora and I _did _date— no. We're not going to. It'd be too weird. If I lost him as a friend, I don't know what I'd do…

**Selphie's POV: **Outsider's Perspective

Last period was really weird… _"Does Sora like Kairi? Does Kairi like him? I thought she liked Seifer… That's what I heard anyway. But that's why Kairi hates me… I supposedly 'told everyone that.' Just because I told one person what I heard. Someone else started spreading that rumor. Instead of trying to tell her it wasn't me, I just got defensive. Great way to show I'm innocent, right?"_ I huff… _"This sucks. And now we're not even friends because of a stupid misunderstanding. And now Seifer's harassing her. I've seen it. I don't like it either and she clearly doesn't. But I can't apologize. It's too late for that. Wait… No… Seifer's getting up from Sora's table? Where is he going? Kairi's table… Of course… "_

**Kairi's POV: **Confronting

"_What now?"_Seifer comes over and beelines for me. I bite my tongue and close my eyes. _"Don't say anything stupid."_

"So… tryouts are coming up for Blitzball." He sits down next to me and looks around the table, resting his eyes on me. "Any of you ladies gonna be routing for me?"

I scowl at him. "I'd rather route for a monkey." I say rudely. _"__When will he just get the point? I hate his guts."_

"Now that's not very nice," he whines. "After all, if you make captain this year, it would only make sense for the star Blitzer to go with the cheerleading captain."

"Then I'm happy I'm not trying out for captain."

Shelinda huffs. "You're not going to try out for captain? Someone has to tryout against Arixia. She can't just get it by default! You could really get it!"

"No," I reply. "I don't care if she _is _related to Selphie. I don't want that kind of responsibility. _I have enough of that waiting for me with my dad."_

Seifer puts his finger under my chin. I move away. At least they're not talking about last period at that table. "C'mon, baby. You can do it." He smirks perversely. "Hell, I have an idea. Why don't _we _do it?"

I slap his hand away from my face and gag. "Get away from me! You boorish, brainless, conceited, arrogant, psycho freak!" I just yelled that… Everything's quiet now… He's mad…

He grabs me violently. "Don't _ever _embarrass me in public like that again! Do you hear me?! I will have you dealt with in so many ways!"

"Go ahead!" I dare him. He slaps me really hard. I feel my face turn red already. I'm not worried about that. I look over to where Sora's sitting. Or, was sitting. He's gone. He left. I need his help and he's not here…

**Sora's POV: **Getting to Know the Restroom Personally

I puke again in the toilet of the men's restroom. _"I want to help. I can't… It's already so weird. I can't be there after I break things off… I need to stop…" _I puke again. _"Why am I sick? Did I really drive myself sick with wanting to be there? I wouldn't be able to stand that anyway." _I hear another smack. I puke again. _"He's hitting her… I have to—"_ I start to get up to go help her, but I fall back down. "Ugh…" I groan.

**Kairi's POV: **Txting

I make it to 7th Period in one piece. Finally, a class I _don't _have with Sora. _"The jerk… What a real friend he is…"_I check my phone to see the time and see that he just sent me a txt.

"_Srry i wasnt ther at lunch, kairi. i herd it all. its just tat i was feeling kinda sik and was in the restroom."_

"_r u ok?"_I txt back.

"_feeling a lil bettr. n im srry about 4__th__ too. can we meet aftr skool to talk about it? i need to tell u sumthing."_

Now I'm curious. _"__sure. c u then. ____"_

**Author's Note: That's the first time I've used Selphie's POV. This chapter was pretty boring, if you ask me. It was also pretty short. I just wanted to save the good stuff for the next chapter, so keep reading, and I promise you won't be disappointed. Don't forget to review!**


	4. Uhoh

**CHAPTER IV: UH-OH**

**Sora's POV: **Giving the News

Her "" always makes me smile. Not today. Not again. How am I supposed to tell her I can't be her friend anymore, much less a boyfriend? _"That doesn't mean I won't kiss her still. But what kinda person would that make me? Fickle. Wait. I already am. I mean, what else am I doing here? Well I've finally made up my mind. I'm sorry, Kairi…" _After school, I find her outside where we decided to meet. I take a deep breath before she sees me. I walk up to her. "Hey, Kairi."

She smiles. "Hey. Feeling better?"

"Huh?" I almost forgot. "Oh, yeah. Thanks."

"That's good…" She's making small talk. That's not like her. "So what'd you want to talk to me about?" Now that's Kairi. She looks so pretty, standing like she always does. She looks so optimistic, happy, naïve (in a good way). I don't want to spoil that.

I depress. As if I wasn't already. "Kairi… I'm really sorry about what happened in fourth period, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there at lunch. _I am so, so sorry. For everything._" I choke back tears. Tell me she doesn't notice. She does, of course.

"Sora…" she's worried now… She takes a step forward, and I take one back.

"No, Kairi. I don't want to sound like a kid, but I can't be your friend."

"What?" she's really surprised.

I look away. "What I almost did in Health… It was stupid." I look up to see tears in her eyes. "I can't say I don't have any feelings for you. …I have plenty of them." I swallow, pushing back the fragments of the leftover dreams. "I _really _like you, in fact. But I don't want to be anything more than your friend. …My feelings won't let that happen. I don't want to lose you. But… either way I will. I mean, we won't last as a couple!" I'm trying to convince myself now… "Then it'll be too harsh to be friends again. Don't you see? And I can't be your friend with these kinda thoughts. Friends shouldn't think of other friends that way. _What I really want to say… _I'm sorry." I grab a hold of her shoulders and look down. I cry a little. "_…Is something I don't even want to face… _I just can't regret what we have _now. Kairi… I'm not sure this is the way it's supposed to go… _I love you. _I love you so much more than that._"

**Kairi's POV: **The Breakdown

All I can do is stand here, stunned. There's something he's not saying, but he's clutching my sleeves. He's crying… He's not looking at me… What am I supposed to do? I want to kiss it all away, but he just dismissed all that. _"He dismissed more than that._ Sora… I _want _to still be your friend. I don't want to lose you either." I tear up some more myself. "If I lose you…. Sora, you're my only best friend left. I've told you everything. Pretty much. Except one thing, because I'm really not supposed to. And I even came really close to telling you then." He clutches me tighter. "Don't give up on our friendship. Please, Sora. I love you, too. You know what I mean by that. You're my best friend and I love you. You said that you loved me. So don't give up on this. Please." I grasp his shirt at his waist and look down myself. If anyone's watching this, then do they have a sight to see. He looks up at me, longingly. I drop to my knees in front of him in tears.

"Kairi…" is all he says.

I plead with him more. "You can't! Please. You can't…" He lifts me up and wraps his arms around me, comforting me. I just cry more. I feel like a friend just died. Like I'll never get them back… I begin to tremble and he holds tighter.

**Sora's POV: **Impulse

I don't care. I don't care if I can't be her friend after this. I'm being her for her now. I _can't _see her like this. And knowing that I did it… _"I can't stand myself!" _I clutch onto her tighter for no apparent reason. Her head's on my shoulder, like a child needing support from a stranger that just scared them. I don't know who the stranger is either, and I'm him. There's only one thing I can do. All I know what to do after this. I lean my head on hers, eyes closed. I open them and she looks up at me, backing her head back a little. I already have a good hold on her. I hold tighter and this time with motive. Her mouth hangs slightly open and I take the plunge. I kiss her achingly. I notice how much my whole body's ached to kiss her. I don't pull away. I don't want to.

I hear a voice behind me. "C'mon, little brother! We've got to go! We already missed the bus!" I ignore her. Kairi doesn't. After she pulls away I hang my head.

"You better go…" she says in a whisper.

I whisper back. "What if I don't want to?"

Tears fill her eyes again. "Just go" she pleads.

"_Does she want me to stay? Does she want me to go? What?"_I pull away slowly. I really don't want to go. I let go of her and want to say something like "I'll call you later. I promise." But I can't… After my backs turned to her I close my eyes. _"What did I just do?"_ I return slowly to my sister, Yuna. She smiles at me.

"What was that all about?"

I sniff. My nose is runny from crying. I'm not worried about that, though. I'm not the kinda guy who thinks it's stupid to cry. Kairi knows that. But Yuna's really getting on my nerves. "Nothing" I say, indicating that I'm upset and don't want to talk about it.

"You make us miss the bus, to go kiss it up with some girl? Kairi?" I turn and glare at her. "What?"

"What happened? Why aren't we taking the bus?" My little sister comes up, confused. Her name's Aerith. She's 10. Aerith's in the 5th grade. Yuna's 16 and a junior. She's had a small thing for Riku pretty much her whole life. They're in the same grade and are the same age. These two are my only siblings. I have no brothers. I hate that… No wonder I cry a lot. No dad and no brothers. Only girls. My best friend _was _a girl.

"_Kairi… _Don't worry about it, Aerith. It's not important."

"It looked pretty important to me." Yuna says. She's just trying to figure out what's wrong. I can't blame her.

"Don't worry about it." I know I sound depressed. I just ruined every chance I had at being close with her. "It doesn't matter anymore…"

"What's wrong, big bubby?" Aerith says. She says it because it always makes me smile. I smirk with effort. She cocks her head at me and hugs me. I hug her back. I needed that, however stupid it sounds. Although, I can't show her how upset I really am. I get home, go straight to my room without saying anything and close and lock my door. I lie on my bed and sulk.

**Kairi's POV: **An Old Friend

After Sora leaves with his older sister, Yuna, I stand there in shock. _"Did that just really happen?"_No way. _"I must've been dreaming."_No way. I sit politely on the ground and think… _"How awesome that felt… Now he's gone."_I hug myself. _"I miss him already… He's the only one who can make me feel better by holding me… Well, except for mom."_ I sit there, trying to figure things out. _"I'll email Kaiyo again and see what he says."_I stand up. _"Wait… Sora said he was sick earlier. What if I get it?"_Somehow, I have a feeling it's not contagious. _"How long was he planning on this?__He's been avoiding me all day until 7__th__ period. …Did he get sick because of me?"_I shake my head. No way. _"No. Sora's not that type."_At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. I get up and head toward home. As I'm walking I hear a friendly voice behind me.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I turn around, surprised and smile. It's a friend of mine, Osamu. I give him a hug excitedly.

"What's going on? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Nothing much. I'm gonna transfer to your school here pretty soon."

"Really?!" I squeal. Osamu's a friend I made last year at a Christmas party one of my friends was throwing. One of her friends was friends with him. While there, we started talking. He's the only one who knows that I have _any _feelings for Sora. "When?!"

"Uh… I don't know if it's tomorrow or Wednesday. The school's giving us some crap about it."

In fact, he kinda reminds me of Sora. I think that's why I told him. He doesn't even look like Sora. Osamu has black hair, blue eyes, paler skin and a completely different hairstyle. But their personalities are really close. But Sora… just has something. Kinda like a glow to him. Osamu does too, just not as bright. "Why are you transferring anyway?"

He shrugs. "I didn't get in trouble or anything. Just got bored. Well… kind of. My girlfriend made a really big deal of our breakup. And it was _her _idea. Somehow, I'm the jerk."

I smile. "Ohh…"

"So what's up with you?" He's smiling at me the same way he did then. When he was single. After he got a girlfriend, he didn't smile like that at me anymore. I know he likes me. I automatically remember without thinking what just happened. And that was my first kiss. It was amazing. I depress and close my mouth. He notices something's really wrong. "I thought something was wrong. What's up?" He really cares.

Tears fill my eyes again. "Bad day."

"No kidding. What happened?"

"I told you about Sora."

"Yeah, you said you liked him."

"Yeah. Apparently he likes me too. He almost kissed my in Health today. We were practicing CPR. But he almost _really _kissed me, you know?"

He looks down. This is not good news to him either. "Oh." He looks up confused. "Then what's wrong?"

"He didn't. And he avoided me all day. Some guy was hitting me in lunch and he said he was 'sick.' Seventh period I got a txt from him asking me to meet him after school."

"And?"

I look down and play with the dirt with my shoe. "I met him. He said that because of his feelings, he couldn't be my friend anymore. And he wouldn't date me because he doesn't want things to be bad between us. He also said that what almost happened in Health was a mistake."

"He didn't."

I nod slowly. "…Then he hugged me. Tried to comfort me. He was really upset too. I could tell it wasn't easy for him."

He seems to read my mind. "He kissed you for real, huh?" He looks away a little.

"Yeah."

He smirks, trying to cheer himself up. "Your first, right?"

I can't help but smile. "Yeah."

"Any good?"

I freeze. "I guess. It was kind of a pity kiss."

"I bet it was not!"

"Why else would he have kissed me after he just broke every hope of having him around? I told you how much I care about him. Even if it _is _strictly friends."

He leans close to me and says softly. "Maybe because he likes you."

**Osamu's POV: **Game Plan

I got the idea as soon as she indicated Sora kissed her. It's the perfect opportunity. It may not be a good idea, but it's the only way I can think of.

She shakes her head. "It doesn't matter if he does. It's over." She hugs herself. "I miss him already, you know? He was my last really good friend."

"What about Riku?"

She shrugs. "We don't talk much. Not that it matters anymore. I'm kinda glad we don't talk now. Sora will tell him eventually. If not he can ask me."

"Right…"

She attempts to smile. "There are other guys, right?" She didn't sound too optimistic.

Now's my chance. "Well, you can always make him jealous. Get a boyfriend."

She scoffs. "I don't want to play anyone. And no guy will just accept that."

I shrug, indicating that I'm willing to be that guy. "You never know." She takes the hint.

"What? _You _want to make him jealous?" She eyes me suspiciously. My reason may be a secret, but I know she knows I like her.

"What could it hurt?"

"Why?"

I shrug again. _"Stop asking these questions!_ Oh, I don't know… _Maybe you'll give me a real chance, once you really get to know me. I care about you too."_

**Author's Note: So… I added a few more characters, a new POV, and a little more to the plot. I hope you enjoy it, and **_**please **_**review! I don't know how I'm doing if you don't! Besides, I need to start coming back at my competition:-( Please! I thank you for reading, but we need some more feedback. Hope you really enjoy it, though, even if you don't review. Talk to you again soon to lecture some more. ! **


	5. Problem Number 3

**CHAPTER V: UH… I ALREADY USED UH-OH, SO UH… PROBLEM NUMBER 3**

**Kairi's POV: **Bad Morning

The alarm clock goes off. I hit it. It keeps going. Bad dreams, bad day yesterday, REALLY bad way to start off a morning. I pick up my alarm clock and throw it at the wall. That gets it to shut up. _"Good…"_I groan, realizing something. _"Now I have to find something else to get me up tomorrow… I think."_I drag myself out of bed to see the damage done to it. It's okay. I guess. I set it back. I'll check it closer when I get home. _"Wait… Osamu said that we're going to make Sora jealous… He promised he'd be here today. Even if it isn't for school."_I smile. I _do _feel bad for it, though… It's kinda mean to do to both of them. But it's the only thing I can do. I just hope it works. If anything else, it'll keep Seifer off my back. I get ready for school and get on my way.

**Sora's POV: **Late

I wake up to my alarm clock. I roll over. That was a good dream… I grab my pillow next to me and start to fall asleep again. _"Crap!" _I groan. I don't want to go to school now. She's _not _my girlfriend. Even now the dreams haven't stopped. It just got worse. That's all. I should've never kissed her at all. I never should've tried in the first place. That's what got me in trouble from the beginning! That's why I can't even be her friend anymore! And I refuse to be a friend with benefits. I may have considered at one point last night to stay her friend, but after that dream, I know that will never happen. And that kiss was too good to be real. It had no other feeling than someone liking someone else. If I went up to someone today, someone else that I've dreamt about in the past, and kissed them, it would feel the exact same. _"Now the only way to prove that is to do it …So… who else is there?" _I think a little longer. I can't remember any more. _"Wait… Chloe… I dreamt about her… a while ago. It should still be the same. She likes me now. I think… Yeah. She does. She doesn't stop staring at me." _I hurry and get ready for school, ready to prove that there's nothing about Kairi that I can't find in someone else. Except I know everything about Kairi. That's it. _"I'm trying to convince myself again. Well… there's one way to prove it. Why do I feel like such a jerk?"_ I check the time and see that I'm running late. Crap! I grab my bag and run out the door. "See ya, mom!" I get to the school. I'm late. Not surprise there. I get in the classroom. _"I have to do this. Chloe's in this class. Ignore Kairi. I can do this…" _I sit next to Chloe. All period we talk. Surprising that when I look at her and make a joke, instead of seeing her, I see Kairi smiling. _"Get her out of your head!" _By the end of the period, I try to make it evident that I'm interested in her without being pushy. The bell rings and I tread out the door, talking to her as I go. _"This sucks…"_

**Kairi's POV: **Caught

Sora ignored me all last period. _"Fine. If he wants to chat it up with Chloe, no big deal. I know where his interests lie. I'm not trying to be arrogant, but there's no way, after yesterday, that he's over it. That was his first kiss too!"_I look around. No Osamu. I know he's a junior, but come on! He _has _to be here! Second period I txt him. _"So… wher r u?"_

"_Relax. I'll be at lunch. I thought it mite b a bettr idea. Mor of a big deal tat way."_

"_u bettr come."_

"_I will. U want me to promise?"_

I hesitate. _"no…"_

"_didn't think so. Tats soras deal anyway, rite?"_

I hang my head and look over at him. I reply. _"yeah."_But I'm still depressed.

After class, I go to my locker to put my books up like always. I stop, heartbroken, when I see Sora and Chloe. They're kissing. In the hallway. For the whole school to see. I drop my books by accident. I quickly bend over to pick them up. They stopped after I did that. I know that much. _"I feel so stupid… of course he has other interests. I'm so arrogant to think that I'd be the only one. Just because he's mine…"_I quickly pick them up, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. I drop them again while on the floor and rush to the bathroom. I sit in the stall, sobbing my eyes out.

**Sora's POV: **Self-hatred

I stopped as soon as I heard something behind me. It wasn't working anyway. I had to _push _myself to kiss her, and when I did I felt like crap about it because of Kairi. I'm not her boyfriend. I shouldn't feel like this. But I do. Once I realized that was Kairi who dropped her books, I crushed. Major shutdown. I couldn't move. Chloe said something about not wanting to be late and left after thanking me. I just stared. Kairi gave up and ran to the bathroom. It was my fault. _I _did that. _"Why do I want to kill myself for making her cry?"_ After the bell rings (and I'm late again), Kairi still hasn't come out of the bathroom. I grab her books. I notice they're a little wet. Barely. But the floor's wet too a little bit. Barely. But I know what it is. I don't have to taste the salt to know what it is. I hold them close as if they were her. _"What class does she have this period?"_Japanese. I know that instinctively. _"How?"_I take a trip to her class and knock on the door. The teacher answers it. "Uh…"

"Yes?"

"These are Kairi's. She uh… she's kinda in the restroom. I don't think she's feeling well." Well it's _kinda _the truth.

"Alright. Thank you." I hand them over and head to my class. I stand outside the door.

"_I really don't want another detention. One's enough."_So, I do something out of character. I skip. I walk by the girl's room and stop. _"Kairi…"_I really feel bad. I walk to the boy's bathroom and sink to the floor, my back against the wall. I bang my head against the back wall, making it pound a little. _"I hate myself!"_ Pound. _"I hate myself!"_Pound. It goes on like that for a while. Until I hear steps outside the door like a teacher wondering what the noise is. I jump into a stall, close the door and stand on the seat. The teacher comes in and looks around, then leaves, apparently deciding that the restroom was _not _the cause of the noise. Anyway, that teacher likes me anyway. I behave usually. I don't act like this ever.

**Kairi's POV: **Pressure

I stop crying when I hear the sound of banging. _"What is that? It's coming from next door."_ I feel the vibration of the wall adjacent to me. _"Anyway, aren't I doing the same thing to him? Getting back at him with Osamu? Maybe he DID do that to make me jealous. No… Sora doesn't and wouldn't do that. He must really like her. I just need to accept that."_I hang my head. After a while, the noise stops. I lift my head, my tears drying on my face. I don't think I could cry more if I wanted to. I hear footsteps come closer and then leave again. I venture out after a few minutes. I walk toward my classroom, figuring I should get back. I don't see my books on the ground though. _"What happened to them?!"_As I look, someone bumps into me. I turn to see who it is and I freeze. He does too. _"Sora…"_We stand there, looking at each other. He snaps outta it first.

"Uh, um, you're books are in class. Someone took them to your teacher for you."

I snap outta it. "Huh? Oh. Thanks." He looks down.

"I'm sorry, Kairi… I thought… I thought that it was all in my head. I was wrong." He looks back up. "I don't see how we can be friends after this."

"Then, screw the friendship!" I exclaim softly and take a step closer to him. "We can be more than that!"

"No, Kairi."

"Why not?"

He looks around and pulls me into the men's room. I'm a little surprised at first, but I understand he doesn't want to get in trouble. "Because I can't trust myself with you."

"What?"

He seems a little frantic. "The only reason I kissed her is because I want to… ugh!" He clenches his fist. This is really hard for him.

"Sora?"

He grabs my arms and lets them go, realizing something. "I can't keep my hands off you now! I can't kiss you the way I want to kiss you! I said no to that a long time ago. You know that!"

"What are you talking about? Sora? I'm not asking you to."

"If only you really knew, Kairi."

"Fine, then. Get it all over with. Maybe if you actually _do _what you really want, maybe you'll get over it." Truth is, I just want him to kiss me again.

"What?!"

"Do it!" I pressure him.

"No!" He deliberately clenches his fists. He wants to.

"Do it!"

"Kairi…"

"Do it!"

"Fine!" He breaks.

He takes my waist and my neck again, pushes me into the wall passionately and kisses me. His hand touches me and I hold my breath. How I can do that while actually _making out _with him, I don't know. His tongue is in my mouth. His hand on my chest, the other held tightly to my skirt. What he wants is really clear now. And the sad part is… I want it too. His mouth moves down to my neck and I breathe harder. I grab onto the belt loops of his shorts and pull him closer. _"I'd miss class for this any day."_He travels back up to my lips. I don't want this to ever end. Actually, yeah, I do. I just want it to go further. I know what he means now. But he's controlling himself _now_. I pushed him to do this. I _let _him. I _wanted _him to. It feels so good to have him pressed up against me like this. _"How could I? I've known him forever."_Never like this. _"I could live off this."_I hear footsteps and stop kissing him. He looks toward the door, scared. We're both panting a little. I want him back. I want to—

"Kairi!" Sora whispers and takes me and shoves me into a stall. A teacher comes in.

"Fischer. What are you doing in here?"

He clears his throat. "Restroom." He says, a little off.

"You _do _know, alleviating yourself of physical pleasures _is _against school rules, right?"

He chokes. I try not to giggle. I let a little out, but it's covered up with his choke. "What?! Sir, I'm not…!" He can't even finish his sentence.

The teacher sneers. "Get back to class, Fischer." I hear footsteps leaving.

"Sir—!" I see him shiver through the crack in the stall. He doesn't like that idea. He hangs his head after the teacher leaves. "You can come out."

I giggle and open the door. "Alleviating?" I mock.

"Yeah, shut up."

"Did you get caught doing that before?" I can't believe this.

"No!" He sounds appalled and disgusted. I can tell he doesn't do that. At least not in a public restroom. I giggle again.

"Ok. I believe you." I walk up to him, ready to pick up where we left off, but he pushes me back. I'm confused.

"You asked me to do it and I did." He shakes his head. "I don't know what kinda answers I should've been looking for in that, but I didn't find any." He looks away. "I wasn't planning on tou—"

"No. I let you. Don't think you violated me." He looks down.

"I've regretted a lot of things about you lately." I hold my breath and he looks up. "I'm _not _going to regret this." Tears fill his eyes. "But I _am_ sorry for this."

**Author's Note: Uh… yeah… that's nice… next chapter please! (Review please!)**


	6. Conflict

**CHAPTER VI: CONFLICT**

**Kairi's POV: **Recollection

I fidget all third period. Fourth period comes and I head toward Health, worried out of my mind. When I get in there, Sora's not here yet. _"That's okay."_I swallow. I don't want to be here. I know Sora's probably thinking the same thing. He comes in and takes a seat in the back of the room, away from me. I worry a little more, but resolve to the fact that just because that happened earlier, doesn't mean anything. Although, I know I should be weary of him because of what that kiss indicated, but I trust him even more. I know he wouldn't do anything that would hurt me. But this hurts even more than if he _were _to violate me. _"Just wait… Osamu will be here for lunch… …Sora forgive me."_I don't want to do this. I can also figure that Osamu has other reasons for letting me use him than what he says. I can't figure it out, though. I don't know him well enough for that. I lay my head on the desk, not even about to go to sleep. I think back to last period… _"Do it!"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Why did I say that?"_I wanted him to kiss me again. I remember the feel of his mouth with mine, his body pressed up against me, his mouth on my neck, hand on my breast. I miss it all.

"_I'm NOT going to regret this."_Please don't. I should have made you promise.

I look back at him. His head is on his desk too. But he looks like he's asleep. _"I wonder what he dreams about. He looks so sweet."_

**Sora's POV: **Sneak-Peek of a Different Life

This is different. I haven't seen this before. I'm a little older here. I'm walking with Kairi, but I'm holding someone else's hand. I look down to see a little face smile up at me. I smile back. I have a connection with this person like I never felt before. He's holding Kairi's hand too, walking between us. He must be about 3 or 4 years old. _Who is he?_ Somehow I know that this boy is supposed to be my son. _How?_ My gaze travels to Kairi. She's looking down at him maternally. _How old are we? 19? 20?_ That's so young, but I don't see a trace of regret in here. I look, but I don't see it. I notice my left hand. _A ring?_ I… It's like watching my life happen before my eyes. A life I can't have. _Why not? I obviously don't see her as a friend anymore. It's because I don't want things to be bad between us. What's worse? Our avoiding each other or us glaring at each other every time we see each other? I guess it's something to think about. _I smile in my sleep._ I wonder what she would say if she knew I'm thinking about there really being a relationship._

**Kairi's POV: **Leftovers

Finally fourth period ends. I sit there for a minute, though. Even after Sora leaves. He slept all period. He seems really happy. Peaceful. Was it what happened? I don't know… I get to the lunchroom and grab a lunch. I sit down with Shelinda, Aimi, Avery, Olette and Yura. Talitha comes by to sit beside me and I put my hand down and smile apologetically. "I'm saving it for someone."

Avery smiles at me. "Who? The person responsible for this?" She flips my hair back some. All of their jaws drop.

I hurry into my purse and pull out a mirror. _"Sora! You didn't!"_He didn't mean to. _"No! _Does anyone have some good makeup for this?"

Yura holds out some makeup for me. "I need it for my boyfriend sometimes. You know Jamie…"

Olette pipes up. "So who is he?!"

I turn red and feel someone behind me. I turn around to see Osamu. _"I hate you Osamu! Now they think it's you!" _

"Hey, Kairi. Told you I'd be here." He sits down in the place I saved. The girls giggle.

"Nice choice!" Avery says. I keep my mouth shut.

"Good job" Aimi says, gesturing to my neck.

"Huh?" He says, confused.

I cover up my neck. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. _I wonder what Sora's thinking right now."_

"No. Tell me. What is it?"

Yura exclaims, "The hickey!" She points to her neck excitedly.

"What?" He turns my head to get a look at it. I close my eyes.

**Osamu's POV: **Uh… What?

"_She what?"_ I swallow. It's right there. Not a huge one, but it's there. I guess her and Sora _did _work out. I depress and she notices. I try not to show it for her friends. After all, it _was _my idea. I hate myself. Now the whole school thinks Kairi and I are an item. Good. That's what we wanted. Right? Somehow I don't think _she _sees it that way. "Uh… Excuse us." I grab Kairi's hand to a more remote place. Now I don't know what to say. "Well I guess your plan worked, huh?" I'm being short. I don't want to do that.

"No… He… still doesn't want anything."

"Bullshit!"

She's confused. "What?"

"He couldn't. Not if your any good, and I'm not trying to be a jerk saying that."

"Maybe I wasn't."

"_Bullshit. If I had her… I wouldn't give up like that. _Yeah right."

"What?"

"Look." I kiss her quick so I don't get her in trouble. Or so I thought "quick." I won't let her go and she eventually gives in and really kisses me. Yeah, I kinda forced her, but I want to know and I'm going to tell her. I let her go. I know not to do that in public again. I just wish I had a book to cover up with. "Yeah right is right."

"What was that about?"

"To show you that you're something not to let go like that."

She's upset. "_What_?!"

"Ugh… Look, I like you. I'm sure you know that. Will you just give up on him?! I'm standing _right here_. I was willing to be used, but you're making it so difficult!" I take her arms and shake her. "I'm standing right in front of you. Why don't you give me the time of day?"

I caught her off guard. She didn't know. Even though I didn't tell her, I thought she'd figure it out. She stands, dazed. "I-I'm sorry." She moves past me in shock. I let her go. I turn around and watch her return to her seat. I'm sure the whole cafeteria saw me kiss her, including that son of a bitch Sora. I don't know where he sits, though. If I did, I'd probably go kill him for ruining my chances. I thought that maybe she'd be over him by now when I decided to transfer here. Tomorrow's my first day. Great first impression, Danson. I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Osamu Danson. What's going on?" I turn around to see Riku Hebron.

"Riku!"

"Hey man, I haven't seen you around for a while. What happened to you? You don't hang out with us anymore. You know we miss our lost Jaguar."

I laugh. "Nah. Just got bored."

"So are you and Kairi together?"

I hesitate and look over my shoulder at her. She's laughing with her friends. "Maybe. She's a hard one to figure out." Except I know exactly what's going on with her.

He laughs. "Kairi? She _is _a little cloudy sometimes. You'll get it, though. You're smart enough."

I also stopped hanging out with you guys when you all started breaking the law. Dinking and smoking was fun and all, not breaking the law. I was breaking it enough as it was. "Yeah. So what have you guys been up to lately?"

"Who? The Jaguars or Kairi and Sora?"

"Jaguars. _Don't say their names like that. Like they 'belong' or something."_

"Oh, we're just doing the same old stuff. Horsing around."

"Still breaking into houses?"

"They do. I tried it once at Sora's house, got caught and never did it again. That was like, one of the last times I saw you."

"Yeah. Didn't like that idea much."

"I know what you mean. I didn't want to do it in the first place. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Transferring tomorrow."

"Here?"

"Yup." I look over my shoulder. "Promised Kairi I'd stop by. _Why am I covering for her?_"

"Oh. That's cool."

**Riku's POV: **I'm Back

Something's a little _off _with Osamu. I just saw him kiss Kairi and Kairi walk away. I didn't hear anything said, but it didn't look good. _"I wonder what's going on… And what's with the rumors about her and Sora? It's stupid. They're like the best friends. They don't have any feelings for each other. But obviously she has some for Osamu. They'd make a pretty good couple, I guess."_ I just tried not to get too close with her because I didn't want to be so close that it'd be weird to date her. She's hot. I'd do her in a heartbeat. But I'm not a jerk. I'm a friend. For now. Maybe forever. It's cool. She's a good friend.

"Yeah, but I guess I'd better be heading out."

"Right. Do you have your schedule yet?"

"Uh… Not yet. I get it tomorrow."

"Maybe we'll have the same lunch."

"Yeah. What are you doing in this lunch anyway?"

I smile deviously. "Skipping."

He pats my back. "Real smart. See ya later."

"Later." He leaves and I decide to go talk to Sora, even if he _is _surrounded by a bunch of jocks. I hate jocks. I walk up to his table to see him staring off in space. No surprises there. He's been doing that a lot lately. "Hey man."

He snaps outta it. "Huh? Oh. Hey." He slumps.

"What's going on?" I sit down.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Uh-huh." I look over to where he's looking and see Kairi laughing with her friend. _"Okay… Doesn't mean the rumors are true. _Whatcha looking at?"

He shakes his head again snapping outta it. He looks like he's been caught robbing a bank at night. "Nothing. Just staring off."

"Right…" I look back over to where Kairi sits. She glances over here a few times, apparently not seeing me. She _finally _sees me and closes her eyes with a confusing expression. She opens them and waves excitedly to me. I wave back, confused myself. I turn to Sora. "Okay, now what's going on?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Kairi has a boyfriend?"

"What?!"

"Yeah. Osamu."

"Who?"

"The guy that was just here?"

I see him swallow. "He's her boyfriend?" His voice shakes a little. "Since when?"

"Must be a while after _that _kiss," I say to mainly see his reaction. He becomes really quiet and loses the color in his face. _"What is up with him? _I hear he even left a hickey on her."

"Really?" He seems really upset. "I gotta go." He gets up and leaves. I wait a minute and look over at Kairi's table. She watches Sora get up and go with a worried look.

I follow him after a few seconds. I find him in the empty hallway, pacing. _"Okay…"_

**Author's Note: And that concludes Chapter VI (a.k.a, Chapter 6). I know it's a little boring. Don't hate me. And if you do, still review. And just click for the next chapter. It gets better. I haven't even introduced Homecoming or the thing with Selphie. I mean, c'mon. I'm in competition here! I have to bring in a major Selphie sequence to it. This is just the beginning. Wait till it gets better! (Review Please!!!)**


	7. Getting Back Together

**CHAPTER VII: GETTING BACK TOGETHER**

**Sora's POV: **A Third Party

I pace, not sure what to do… "I can't believe I left that… How long were we alone? Ugh…" My pacing becomes faster and faster. "There's no way I could've left that. We were only together a few minutes. _Well, fourth DID come a little faster than I thought it should. _No way!" I run my hands through my hair, back up against a wall and slide down. I bang it against the wall some more. "Why did I even _do _that?! Since when does she have a boyfriend. How did they kiss? Kairi wouldn't have told me to do that if she had a boyfriend. She wouldn't have let yesterday happen!" I bang my head a couple more times.

"What about yesterday?" I hear a way too familiar voice say. I look up to see Riku. "What about Kairi and yesterday?"

"Nothing." I scramble up to my feet and try to get away from him. He doesn't let me.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing!"

"Sora you and her are like my best friends. Tell me what's going on."

I break. Again. I don't have much strength when it comes to Kairi. In any case. "I kissed her, okay?! I did more than that." I glare at him for getting it out of me.

"What do you mean?"

"That wasn't her _boyfriend _who left that on her!"

He chokes. I could've expected. "What?!"

"Yesterday in fourth period I almost kissed her. I really did after school. Today in third period I ran into her in the hallway after she saw me do something really stupid. And then I did another stupid thing, okay?"

"What did you do?"

"I kissed her! What else do you think I did?! You know me!"

"Sorry. Forgot."

"Now I have to deal with it. How did that guy kiss her?"

"Actually, he _did _kiss her, but she wasn't really into it. She was at the end, but I think it's because he wouldn't let her go. He wasn't being a bastard, just… It was weird. You should probably ask her."

"No! I'm not talking to her again."

"Loosen up! I don't think they're even going out to be honest."

"But you said—!"

"Relax. You were acting funny. I had to say _something_."

"I hate you." I'm glaring at him and at the moment mean it, but I don't really. I'd still jump in front of a bullet for him.

"Sorry." He looks like he doesn't know what else to say.

I look away to glare. "You know I didn't mean that."

"Yeah. I know. But don't blame me because you can't make up your mind."

"Huh? How do you know…?"

He smirks sarcastically. "And I just met you yesterday, right? Sora, I've known you forever. I know when you're being stupid."

"Yeah. Thanks." I say, trying to cheer myself up. It works a little. I can smile a little without as much effort.

"You know what I mean."

I sober back to the way I was before. "What to _you _think I should do?"

"I don't know. Maybe just stay friends."

"I can't."

"Why not? So you kissed her and her neck? Apologize. Get over it."

"I didn't just to _that_."

"You said that was all…"

"I did something else."

"Like what?" He laughs as if he doesn't believe me. Kairi comes around the corner.

"Don't answer that, Sora." She looks at me solemnly. Maybe not exactly sadly, just… I guess _tired_.

"Kairi." Riku says, a little surprised. "How long have you been there?"

"Since you left to follow Sora." She turns to me. "And if you ask me, I think you should just get over yourself and kiss me again." She closes her eyes. "I _mean_ give us a chance."

"That too." Riku says. "A little weird for me, but whatever you want."

I close my eyes and think. "And we're not together." She says. "We had a plan, but I don't want it anymore. I'm sorry."

Forget my thoughts. "What?"

She smiles guiltily. "I was trying to make you jealous. But he really likes me, so he says. It was his idea because he wanted me to start liking him instead. He's really sweet. It was a good idea, but it never would have worked." She smiles at me.

"_Yeah. Friends is way out the window. If we can say stuff like that openly, we have no business being friends._ I have to think, Kairi." I feel like a jerk saying that. Especially with Homecoming coming up. I'd forgotten all about it until now. Maybe I can figure out what I want before then. It _is _next week, and I don't want her waiting forever. "I'll tell you by the middle of next week." Riku gets what I'm saying.

"Wait… Homecoming." Kairi's eyes light up at the realization.

**Kairi's POV: **Permission

I didn't even think about Homecoming! _"Sora…! I didn't mean to… This sucks! I'm so sorry!_ I didn't even think!_"_

Sora laughs at me a little. I miss that. "What?"

"I didn't even think about Homecoming!"

"Don't worry about it, Kairi. I'll tell you before then." He's acting like his normal self again.

"I'm not worried about that!"

"So you'll go with me?" Riku's eyes widen and my jaw opens a little. He corrects himself. "I mean, either way?"

I swallow. "Yeah." He laughs at me again. "What?"

"Your face. You look hilarious."

Riku looks at me and laughs too. "That _is _pretty good." I shut my half-hung jaw and send teasing looks to both of them. Our trio's back! I giggle and they laugh. Riku stops and pulls my hair back from my neck. "So let's see this." I flinch a little and Sora's watching intently, I guess wanting to see it too. "Not that bad." He says.

"I covered it up a little." I say. He shrugs.

"Still not that bad. I've seen worse. I've _given _worse," He looks over at Sora. "Too bad."

"Hey!" Sora breaks out in a smile. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Better luck next time." Riku says. I hit him playfully, dropping my jaw from surprise. Sora's eyes get wide for a second. He just shuts up. It makes me want to kiss him. I just hug him instead and giggle. He finally laughs. Riku looks at us and smirks. "Humph."

"What?" I'm not hugging him anymore.

"Nothing." He says.

**Riku's POV: **Revelations

"_Funny. They actually don't look too bad together. I've seen them together my whole life, but I've never thought of them together before. It's interesting, but I guess it really does make sense. However weird it may be."_ I smile. "So are we hanging out tomorrow after school or what?"

Sora fidgets again. It's hilarious to see him act like this! I have to stop myself from laughing at him. I can tell Kairi is too. He's about to laugh himself from embarrassment. I let it out and we all laugh together. "It was just a question!"

We try to sober. "Okay. Okay. He says. I'll be there."

"I guess I will too," Kairi says. Alright!

"_So there goes my plan of maybe getting a little closer to her. Oh well. If she went to anyone else, I'm glad it'd be Sora. Osamu would've been good too. Who knows? She might actually go with him. I doubt it… Especially after what's happened between her and Sora. But I'm really glad it wasn't any of the Jaguars."_They tend to _use _girls more than a little. We also tend not to play any sports. Too preppy. Jockey. Whatever. But Sora's cool. Even if he doesn't hang out with us. He's a good kid. I've actually been thinking about not hanging out with them either. _"Osamu's right. Like I said earlier, he's smart. Anyway… if Sora goes with Kairi, maybe I can ask that other girl… She's cute. She's also Kairi's enemy, so… maybe I'll hold back for a while. Hey, that means I can still flirt. Nothing wrong with that."_

**Selphie's POV: **

"_They've been gone a while. I wonder what's going on… I heard that there were some things going on with Kairi and Sora. But who was that other guy she was kissing? I know she's not a slut. Despite what almost happened in Health yesterday. I don't care what other people say either. Amé can shut up. She's a real slut herself. Her and Ace… It's gross what they do in the hallway. I wonder what Riku was doing in here though. It's weird. I've liked him for a while but he always takes my breath away when he walks into a room."_ I sigh and smile. _"Riku…"_ I'll just talk to Kairi. I have to apologize. _"Maybe I should talk to Seifer first. That was a really jerky thing to do yesterday."_ I just wanted to get up and go over there. When Kairi got mad at me… I couldn't get mad at her back. Because I _did _tell him, and he was the only person. But if I knew she didn't like him, I wouldn't have told him. Maybe I should have double-checked with her. I was afraid she's lie to me, though. She never tells me who she likes. She's always lied to me. _"That's it. I'm talking to Seifer the next class I have with him. And I also saw what happened in the hallway yesterday. …She said she liked someone else. So is it Sora or that guy?"_ I continue eating. _"I can't wait. I'm going to talk to him now."_

**Author's Note: So, I'm bringing Riku and Selphie in more. Yay. And as all our fanfics have gone so far… you know what happens. (wow. Nickelback's "Photograph" just came on. Good song) Amazing how someone can write a whole chapter on what goes on in a **_**hallway**_**. Right? Well… Riku had to find out **_**sometime.**_** Hope you enjoyed it. Rate and Review please. (yes, even if you hated it. Please don't burn too bad. Smoked is good)**


	8. In Memory of Axel, Org's no 8

**CHAPTER VIII: IN MEMORY OF AXEL (ORAGANIZATION'S #8)**

**Selphie's POV: **Standing Up

I stand up and go over to Seifer. _"I can't believe I'm doing this. …It's the only way to apologize. She won't believe me and I don't blame her."_I walk up behind them while the three of them are out of the lunchroom. I have no idea where they went. Some might think a three-some. I know better than that. In fact, I know people are saying that's what it is because I can hear Seifer right here. "That's not true and you know it! It's people like you trashing her like that! Pretty soon Sora and Riku's reputation will be ruined too!"

He turns around, scoffing at me. "What are _you _doing here?"

"You're ruining Kairi's reputation. You're treating her like shit. That's not right."

"What's to ruin of her reputation? More guys want to be with her. They want a good fuck. And I'm not ruining Sora or Riku's either. I'm turning them into gods."

"_That's MY Riku you're talking about like that! _Those three are the best of friends! You wouldn't know that unless you knew _them_!"

"Sora already told me about them being _close_. As in, with benefits? Yeah. I think they're a little more than friends. All three of them."

"Shut up! I've known them all my life! I know they're not like that. And Kairi doesn't even _like _you, so you can just leave her alone!"

"Did she tell you that too?" He asks mockingly.

"No! She didn't have to! But since everyone else let yesterday slide by, I wasn't going to! Even if I _was _the one who told you that not even knowing for sure!"

"So what _does _she think about me?" He doesn't believe me and he's not about to.

"She hates your guts. After the stunt you pulled yesterday in the hallway about grabbing her, she about killed the next guy who did it. If you do it again, she's pressing charges."

"I'd like to see her try."

"Fine." I stomp off. I don't know what I accomplished, but maybe Seifer will tell Sora and I know Sora would tell Kairi. I want her to know that I still care. I'm still a friend after our fight. I hope she sees that.

**Kairi's POV: **A Proposition

I run inside after school gets out. I'm so excited! _"__Did he message me back?!"_I run upstairs to my room and swing through the door. My computer's blinking with an IM. _"__I hope he's still online!"_I sit down and see the message Kaiyo left me.

"_Kairi, don't hate me. I had to tell dad. There's no way I could keep that from him. I hope you and him work out if it means anything. I know you're at school, but I really needed to tell you before it was too late. He's not happy. And neither is your betrothed."_

I stare in shock of it. "What? The snitch…" I whisper at him through the computer. I message back. _"__I'm home. You on?"_

A few minutes later it dings. _"__I'm really sorry, Kairi."_

"_Don't worry about it. What's going on? What did dad say?"_

"_He took it straight to Kazuo."_

"_He didn't…"_

"_Yeah. Kazuo threw a fit. Dad's trying to calm him down now."_

"_What can I do?"_

" _Stay with Sora." _I got my "" from Kaiyo.

I smile. _"__And what about Kazuo? I'm supposed to marry him."_

"_Run away."_

"_What?"_

"_I wouldn't say that joking."_

"_I know."_

"_If you really don't want this guy, which I assure you, you don't… I'm telling you to run away. Run away wherever and with whomever you want. I love you, sis. Just be careful."_

"_I wouldn't ever get to meet you."_

"_You can still message me anytime. Txt me even. I won't tell anyone where you are. I'll come meet you somewhere. Hell, maybe I can run away too. I don't want to be king."_

My eyes tear up. He's told me that so many times. _"I'm sorry. But… do you think I should tell Sora my secret?"_

There's a minute before he types back. I Buzz him. He finally starts typing again. _"If you want. If you think you need to."_

"_I don't know if I NEED to. I WANT to. And I know he wouldn't go telling everyone. He'd keep it secret. Especially if I make him promise. ____"_

"_So I understand."_There's another pause. _"__Are you going to tell him?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_When?"  
_

"_I don't know. Whenever it feels right."_

"_Hey, I got to go. Servant just came in to get me. Dad wants to see me. I'll talk to you later."_

"_Ok. Ttyl. Love you."_

"_Yeah. You too."_He signs off.

"Okay…" I say, confused. "I wonder what that was about." My cell phone buzzes in my purse. I pull it out. Osamu's calling me. I answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kairi. I'm sorry about earlier. You know… kissing you and saying those things."

"It's okay. It made me realize some things."

"Like what?" He seems hopeful.

"That I can't give you what you deserve. You're really sweet, Osamu and I love you. But it's just as a friend. Sure we have chemistry. You're really cute and fun and sweet. What's not to love? But if I _were _to have a relationship with you, I'd have to be sure I wanted it. And right now there's only one person I want a real relationship like that with. I'm really sorry."

He's quiet for a minute. "It's okay. Really. You're a good friend, Kairi. Sora's lucky. I hope he takes it." I smile. "But I understand. Thanks. I guess I'll just talk to you later."

"When do you start school here?"

"Tomorrow."

"Then I'll definitely see you then."

"Yeah."

"Hey, cheer up. We have a lot of cute, nice girls that go to this school. I can introduce you to some of them. Just try not to compare." I giggle at my joke. "I'm kidding."

"You know it's true."

"I'm not anything special. You'll see. But first I have to get everything straight. Talk to you tomorrow."

He sounds happier. "Yeah. See you then."

We hang up and I get on Myspace and post a bulletin. _"__Just so all you girls out there know, I'm not dating that guy at lunch. We tried, but decided not to. So, yeah, he's single and looking. ____ He's a really sweet guy and deserves the best. Just know that you have to get my permission first. Lol."_I named it _"Rumors" _and signed off. This is bound to be pretty interesting.

**Sora's POV: **

I lay on the beach for real this time. By myself, dozing off again. The sun with the sound of waves always puts me to sleep. The sand is really comfortable too. It's really soft here. _"No wonder my dreams are always on the beach…"_I sigh and drift off to sleep. I lose track of time and so, some time after I fall asleep, I wake up. It's evening, I know that much. The sun is setting over the ocean. I had another dream… I prop myself up on my elbows, taking my hand out from under my head. They always fall asleep.

"What do you dream about?" I hear a voice ask. I jerk up to a sitting position and hear her giggle.

"What?" I look over and she's laying on her side, watching me.

"What do you dream about?"

I'm way too embarrassed to tell her that. "Nothing."

"You know you kinda smile in your sleep?"

"I do?"

"So you can't fool me."

"Lately it's been the future."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What about it?"

"I guess I'm really looking forward to a family. Or, being a dad I guess."

She sits up. "Oh." There's a pause. "I don't want to get married." This surprises me.

"You talk about it all the time, Kairi." I smile at her.

"I know. But… it's stupid. Most people don't even make it. I mean, look at my mom and dad."

"Still doesn't mean you have to give up."

"No. If I get married, I'm going to make sure he's the one. I don't want this dilly-dally." She smiles, showing that she's not letting herself get upset over it. It'd be easier if she didn't. I smirk at her.

"You'll find him. _I just hope it's me._"

"Sora—" Her phone rings. "Hello? …Okay, mom… I'm coming… Sorry… I'm just down at the beach… With Sora… Hanging out? …I left about twenty minutes ago… I meant to call you… Okay, I'll be home in fifteen minutes… Love you." She hangs up. "My mom wants me home for dinner. Sorry."

"That's okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow." She stands up.

"Yeah." I say, staring after her as she leaves. She turns around.

"And you need to quit sleeping and think! Don't keep me waiting. You know how impatient I get." She smiles.

I laugh. "Okay, okay. I'll make sure I don't sleep tonight because of it." I tease.

"Don't do that!"

"You're impossible!" I call after her.

"Not nearly as impossible as you!"

"Get outta here, Kairi!"

She giggles. I can see it from here, even if she is too far away to hear in a regular tone. "What do you call this?" I laugh and she leaves. I lie back down with my hands behind my head.

**Author's Note: I wonder what's gonna happen with Seifer. Sora and Kairi still aren't an item either. When will they just get over themselves? And what is Kaiyo **_**talking **_**about? He's sorry? For what? I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out! (Review please!!!)**


	9. An Unexpected Visitor

**CHAPTER IX: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR**

**Sora's POV: **Standing Up to Seifer

That next day, I survive the first two periods. Third period is where things get tough. I sit down and Seifer comes in upset as heck. He sits down beside me.

"I wish that stupid Brannon girl would get off my back already! She's come up to me twice now!"

"Huh?" I say, confused. _"What's he saying? Yeah, that's Selphie. Selphie Brannon, but what's he rambling on about?"_

"She's been telling me to stay away from Red. Hell if I'm going to. She's pretty fucking damn hot." I clench my fists. "I hear she has a boyfriend, but that doesn't stop her. She still hangs on me every time I see her."

"_What? Is he mental, cuz that's a delusion if I ever heard one. And yeah, after today she'll have a boyfriend." _

"I mean, _I _can't help it. I put _her _in line, you know what I'm saying?"

"Are you talking about what happened at lunch the other day?"

"Yeah, but you weren't there. Did you hear about it?" He's rather _proud _of himself.

"No. I was just in the bathroom."

"Oh… jacking off?"

I roll my eyes. "No. I was sick."

"Going for the 'skinny' look?"

"No…" I'm getting frustrated already. "I wasn't feeling well. _Why do I have to spell it out?"_

"Then why didn't you go home?"

I shake my head. I'm done… "Because I'm more responsible than that."

"Whatever."

"And you might want to leave Kairi alone. _I hate him calling her 'Red.' _Selphie's right. She hates you." I smirk. I'm proud of myself now. I really meant that.

"Idiot. You don't know anything."

I play along sarcastically. "Right… Just know, if you try anything when I'm around her, I won't sit back."

"You like her, don't you?"

"That hasn't been a secret in a long time. _Well, kinda._"

**Kairi's POV: **Learning Selphie's Side

I get to fourth period. Today's been really good. Sora's been talking to me a lot and looking at me as if I really matter. I mean, more than what he usually does. It boosts my hopes. I told him yesterday that I don't want to get married. I only said that because if I have to marry Kazuo, I don't want to get married. If I had a choice, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm not saying it'd be Sora, but the person I'm going to marry will definitely be a lot like him. Maybe Osamu… I smile at that and Sora comes in.

"What are _you _smiling about?" He asks.

"_I can't tell him that. _Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"Bout what?"

I smile at him. "You, if you'll believe that."

"Oh, I can believe it." He's just acting cocky. That's another thing I love about him. He's really more self-conscious than that, but he's not overly self-conscious. He's confident. But he teases a lot. I love that.

"Shut up." I smile at him. "So what are you smiling about?"

"Actually, I had a really bad period last period. Seifer and I got into it again."

"What this time?"

"You, _if you'll believe that_." He mocks.

I mock back. "Oh, I can believe it." But I'm also serious. Seifer needs to shut up and I know Sora's been getting upset. Yet another thing I love about him…

He smiles at me. "I told him that he needs to stay away from you, and if he ever tried anything while I was around, I wouldn't just sit back."

"I know you wouldn't. What brought this up anyway?"

"Oh." His eyes got big for just a second. I smile at that. "That's the weird part. Selphie talked to him."

"What?!" I look over to where Selphie sits. She's watching us. _"Nosy…"_

"Yeah. Apparently she got really mad about what happened at lunch that day I got sick. She talked to him yesterday at lunch too. He was saying stuff about us, I guess. He didn't tell me what he was saying, but that's when we got into it."

I look over to Selphie and back at Sora after a moment. "Hold on." I tell him and get up. I go over there. "What are you doing?"

"What?" she asks, almost scared. I don't get it.

"You tell Seifer I like him, _then_ you tell him to leave me alone? I can do that myself. I don't need your help, you know."

She looks down at her desk. "I'm sorry."

I feel like a jerk. I slip in the empty seat next to her. After all, she _was _my best friend. I guess I still care a little bit. "Don't be. You were just trying to help." She looks up surprised. "I just don't get it. Why would you tell him that?"

"That you liked him?"

"Yeah."

**Selphie's POV: **Confessions

She's actually asking me. I have to say something. Okay… um… I never thought she'd ever actually ask me. But at least I have an idea of what I want to say. Uh… um… "Because… it was just something I heard. I meant to ask you first, but I don't know what happened. I guess it slipped?"

"Stuff like that doesn't slip." She says. Okay…

"Then… I guess I had a lapse of judgment." I say a little more confident.

"You think?" She's being a little sarcastic. She's not smiling either. But she's not being terribly rude either. Kinda like a friend who's just upset.

"I just saw what happened at lunch the other day… I was too embarrassed to step up then, but yesterday I told him what I thought. I'm trying to makeup for it."

"What was he saying about me?"

"It was really You, Sora and Riku. He was saying how you were a slut, and how you were having a three-some in the hallway. He said he was also turning Sora and Riku into gods."

She shakes her head. "Thanks, Selphie." She gets up and goes. I want to stop her, but that's enough for now I think. I wouldn't say we're _enemies_ anymore. That's progress enough. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

**Kairi's POV: **Summons to Battle

Class lets out for lunch. I grab a hold of Sora's arm and walk with him. He looks at me and smiles. He's letting me. In fact, he brings his arm up to take my hand. We walk laced-fingered toward the lunchroom. Just as we're about to enter and split up again, the office calls me. "What?" I say, confused.

"What is it?" We stop walking.

"I don't know." I let go of his hand and he follows me to the office. I get in there and see two men in suits. I look between them ignorantly.

"Kairi Asher Hanan?"

"Yes…" I look to the office aid for help. None there. Sora's behind me. I can feel him and his confused look. I turn to look at him and find it's true.

"You need to come with us."

"No. I don't know you. My mom hasn't told me anything."

"It's orders from King Diz."

"Well tell 'King Diz,' I refuse. I'm not going."

"We have Kazuo Zimri outside waiting for you in person."

"Well, if he's not willing to come in here _in person_, then why should I go out there. You can tell him I refused to go too."

"We have stringent orders."

"Yeah, and I'm pulling rank. I said no."

"King Diz—"

"And you don't see him around right now, do you? _Sora, I'll tell you later. I promise._"

"No, but that doesn't mean—"

"I don't care. Does it _look _like I do? Go away." I turn around to walk away and they take my arm. I pull away automatically.

"I'm sorry, but the King said that if you don't come quietly, we have the authority to _make _you come."

Sora looks at me confused. "Are you in trouble?"

"No." I say, jerking away again. I hate these guys. "And I'm not going with them. C'mon, Sora." I take his arm to walk away.

"Did you just say 'Sora?'" I hear them ask. He stops, curious, to see what's going on. I plead to keep going.

"Yeah. Who wants to know?"

"He wants you to come too."

I realize something and my eyes get wide. I scream at them. "No!" I turn to Sora. "Sora, just go to lunch. I'll take care of this."

"No. What's going on?"

"I was planning on telling you later. I still will. I promise. Just go…" I'm really pleading with him. I don't want anything to happen to him. Kazuo could tear him to shreds and get away with it, or he could end up in prison or a number of things. I wouldn't put it past dad to do something like that. He likes Kazuo. But Sora seems to get it.

"Kairi… I don't want to—"

"That's Pri—"

I cut the men off. "No. It's Kairi. He's right. Leave us alone. Or do I have to make you?"

One of them scoffs. I glare at him. "And what would you do?" I go up to him and knee him in the groin. The other guy grabs me tightly around the wrist before I can say something. I squeak though. "Bad choice, girl. We're going." I try to pull away, but they drag me outside to Kazuo. Sora follows, compelling them to let me go. They don't until we get to Kazuo. They throw me at him. I turn around to Sora first of all.

"Just go. Please… I'll talk to you later. I promise. Just go!" I know he's too worried to go now, but I really don't want him here. "Fine." I say. "Just… know _I _wanted to tell you."

"Okay…"

I hear Kazuo behind me. "Kairi…?"

I close my eyes and turn around. I'm ticked off more than I've ever been before. I could really kill this guy. He's the one who stands in the way of my happiness. _"I'm going to kill him someday. I promise. _What do you want?" I say rudely.

He whines. Not a good first impression. "Now… c'mon… you know who I am. That's no way to talk to me."

"I really don't care."

He heads up to Sora. "That him?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does, actually."

"Then no."

He ignores me and speaks to him. "Are you Sora Fischer?"

"…Yeah."

"Yes sir, to you boy."

"What?" He's irritated too. I love him! Kazuo walks past me to Sora. He puts a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"So you're the guy who has my wife all tied up, huh?"

"What?" Kazuo tightens his grip and punches him the stomach hard, making him double-over.

I yell. "Sora!" I try to run to him, but the men stop me. Kazuo kicks him when he's down.

Kazuo laughs at his pain. "I bet you never would've guessed she had a guy all along, huh? …You see, she doesn't like to talk about me much." He kicks him again.

"No!" I yell. _"Why is he taking it? Fight Sora!"_

**Author's Note: Eww… I **_**am **_**evil, aren't I? Cut the chapter right in the middle of a fight… Maybe I should leave it **_**here. **_**XP. No. I think I'll actually finish the fight for you at least. Heck, I want to see what happens too. This is gonna be good… Review please and head onto the next chapter. 10's up next!**


	10. The Beginning of an End

**CHAPTER X: THE BEGINNING OF AN END**

**Sora's POV: **Thrashed

I lay on the ground in shock, taking the blows. _"Who is this guy? Why did he say 'wife?' My stomach hurts. Kairi's really upset. …I should've listened to her. But still… this way I know how she's doing. Good or bad. I didn't want to leave her alone."_ I'll feel it really bad in the morning. I know he's broken a few things. Mainly ribs, but it's worth it. _"It's worth it."_I roll into a ball, taking the hits.

I hear Kairi's voice scared. I can tell she's crying. "Sora, get up!" I look up to see a foot flying toward my face. I block. The first thing I've blocked this whole fight. I think I'm actually realizing the fact that I'm in a real fight.

"Bastard" I hear him say to me, grunting. I feel helpless, but I'm not. I could probably be a good match for him if I tried.

"_Why don't I?"_ I try to stand up, but am so sore and slow that I'm down, bleeding more on the ground in no time. She's crying really hard. I can hear her gasps and protests. I can also see her flinch every time I take a hit. That's what really gets me. _"What's this about anyway?"_ The police show up, but one of the men from before go talk to them. They don't do anything. I feel life leaving me. My breathing slows and I don't want to move. The pain is so intensifying; I don't know how anyone can survive this. I grunt. I'm so confused. I roll on the ground in agony, but it only creates more pain. _"Someone put me outta my misery!" _The boy killing me stops and picks me up from my shirt. It was white, but is now red due to the blood.

"Stay away from her. I'm not asking politely again." He drops me and I grunt again. Kairi rushes to me. She takes me in her lap and holds me, careful not to put me in more pain. How could I pay attention to that when she's here, caring for me? I laugh a little to show her I'm okay.

"It took this, just to get you to hold me?" She laughs sadly because of the irony. I grunt again and move to ease the pressure on my body.

"Hey, bitch," I hear the jerk say. "I'm not done with you. Just that dumbass of yours."

She gently puts me down and stands up.

**Kairi's POV: **Backup

After I lay him down on the concrete, careful not to hurt him anymore, I stand up to face Kazuo. I grit my teeth and clench my fists. No one does that and gets away with it. I'm killing him. "Don't call him that." My teeth are clenched, my heart's pounding, and the only boy I've ever cared about like this is about to die if I don't do something now. The police are watching us. Paramedics come and get Sora. I'll talk to them after they take away Kazuo's lifeless corpse.

"I'll call him whatever I want to." I slap him as hard as I can. It'll leave a welt in the morning. Not that he'll be alive in the morning. He left Sora an inch from death, I'll kill him! He grabs my hand and squeezes my wrist until I fall to my knees. "Finally where you belong!" He uses the same wrist to throw me into the wall behind him. I flinch, but take it. He takes my shoulders violently and kisses me harshly. I try my best to pull away and push him away, but he doesn't let go. It's getting really scary. He's forcing me to make-out with him. What else is he going to do to me? He's taking Sora, forcing me into a life I don't want, and it's nothing like what Sora and I have. He finally pulls back and kisses me lustfully. Again. He violates me by touching me. He kisses my neck. I seethe with hatred and breathe hard because of it. I find my perfect chance for a little revenge. I knee him in the groin and he goes down faster than I've ever seen someone go down before. If I'm on display like this, I'm going to make it worth my effort. But then, I hear a voice I've never heard before call after me.

"Kairi!" A boy with orange hair and red eyes, filled with as much hatred as myself jumps in to protect me. I don't recognize him still, but the men from before aren't doing anything to get him outta the way. He yells at me with his back to me. "Go!"

"Huh?" I feel frozen.

"Go!" I remember Sora and run over to the paramedics. His mom is there, helping him. It's her job, but she's really worried herself.

"You're going to be just fine" I hear her say and she walks away. I nearly tackle Sora with a hug.

"I'm so sorry!" I cry out to him. "I knew this would happen! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you do anything?!"

"It's okay, Kairi. Are _you _okay? I couldn't do anything because I didn't know what was going on until I already had three ribs broken." I'm practically in his lap now, hugging him. I'm never going to let go. "What _is _this all about?"

I sniff and finally let go. "Sora, I lied to you. I remember everything. About where I was from… Everything. The only thing I _don't _remember is my dad and brother."

"Okay?"

I'm scared. What is he going to say? What is he going to do? "I don't want to lose you."

"Kairi, if I would've known he was going to do that, I would've fought back. I didn't _want _to sit there and do nothing."

"That's not it!" He reaches out to hold me again and flinches from the pain. He still reaches out anyway. I shake my head. "You're hurt."

"Just a little. C'mon. I'm not about ready to give up on us."

"_Did he just say that? It doesn't matter anyway. He's going to change his mind after I tell him." _He still reaches out for me. I shake my head again. "This is my fault. I never should've told Kaiyo about you. If I wouldn't have he wouldn't have told dad and dad wouldn't have gone off."

"What are you talking about, Kairi?" I look over my shoulder, letting the noises from the fight enter my head. I watch the fight a little. Kazuo and that boy are still at it.

"_That boy… Now that I see his face…"_ My eyes widen. I'm about to yell out to him, but I don't want to give Kazuo any chance to hurt another loved one.

"Who is he?" I hear Sora ask me.

I turn back to him. "The boy with the orange hair is my brother. It's the first time I've ever seen him in person. The only reason I know it's him is because he sent me pictures."

"And the other one?"

"I guess you'd say he's Prince Kazuo Zimri. He's my fiancé…"

"What?"

"I don't want to…" I shake my head.

**Sora's POV: **Taking it In

I know she's telling me the truth. She's really supposed to marry this guy. She really doesn't want to. The idea scares her. I can see it so clear in her eyes. Almost on the verge of hysteria. I feel frozen. I can't move. _"My dreams…"_Is it possible to be hurt more by this than the beating? I feel like my insides were just shattered. I'm sick to my stomach all of a sudden, but my heart's too far up in my throat for regurgitation.

"I want _you_, Sora. I hate him." She's crying now. "I have no choice!"

"It's arranged? How?" I find myself saying, now not sure how to feel. I still feel sick, but now she has me thinking.

"Sora, my dad is King Diz. The king those men were talking about."

"So you're… a…" I can't finish my sentence. She knows what I'm saying. My stomach twists a little more.

"I'm from Radiant Garden, Sora. I'm supposed to be going back when I turn 18."

Her fear turns to a different place. "You're leaving?" So Kazuo broke my bones. Now he's breaking something even more precious to me. And taking it away. _"I don't know when it happened, Kairi, but you have my heart, how else would I feel so empty?" _

"I don't want to." She shakes her head.

I don't know what to do. I want to hold her, but isn't that like adultery? I'm hurt physically and torn emotionally, but I'm more worried about her. I don't want to touch her because I don't want attacked again the way I was. But how can I _not _comfort her? Is it hopeless? Is every dream I've had about a future with her hopeless? I can't play myself, but I can't crush her either. I'd be crushing myself. She gravitates to me and I let her. I don't care if it _is _hopeless. She needs me. I need her. I need her more than anything. I'm not going anywhere. "I'm not going anywhere."

**Kairi's POV: **Meeting a Loved One

I cry on him all the more. He's being so soft. I need this. I need him here. He's not going anywhere. I trust that. He kisses my head softly. I want to look up and kiss him myself, but… I don't care what Kazuo says or does. I'll stop him. In fact… he's coming now. I feel him behind me. I feel a hand on my shoulder. _"It's not his grip."_

"Kairi?"

"_That's not his voice."_I look up, tear-streaked to see Kaiyo. I let go of Sora and practically tackle him, crying more. He just hugs me. I lean back. "You came?"

"I had to run away." He smiles at me, then sobers. "I wasn't supposed to."

I hug him again. "I figured." I let go and turn to Sora. "Sora, this is Kaiyo. Kaiyo, this is Sora."

Kaiyo teases Sora, which I think we ALL appreciate. "You uh… held up your side of the fight well."

Sora shrugs. "Well, what can I say? He snuck up on me."

"What happened anyway? I got here late" he says.

I pipe up. "He was talking to him. I expected it, from what you've told me… but… he was just talking to him and took a gut shot."

Sora laughs. "I think he was going for something else."

Kaiyo smirks, unamused. "Wouldn't surprise me." Sora's mom comes back.

"Are you two done now?" She looks between us.

I pipe up again. "Oh, Miss Fischer, this is my brother, Kaiyo. He lives far away."

"Oh really? Where?" She's curious and friendly. We all love her.

"Radiant Gar—" he starts to say, but I elbow him.

"You probably don't know where it is exactly. It doesn't matter." I smile innocently. Sora smiles at me. She takes the hint and looks back down at Sora.

"Well, you seem to be doing better."

"Yeah." He looks up at his mom reassuringly.

"Well, I'll tell you right now" she says sternly, "you're not going anywhere after school. You're not even going back to school. You're going home."

"How? We live on the island." He's trying to go back to school. I can tell.

"I'll row him home" I volunteer. "Kaiyo can come with me, right?" I turn to him.

"I should be getting back, Kairi."

That must be hard for him to say. After dad finds out he left… What did he do with Kazuo? "What happened to…?"

"Akan and Shane took him back before he got too bad."

"Who?" I ask

"Those two guys… they're like our bodyguards. Except I shouldn't be here, so I don't have any this time."

"What do you think dad will do?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "If he tries anything, I'll shut him up."

I plead, "Kaiyo…"

He smirks at me. "I'll be okay. Don't worry." He looks to Sora. "You have enough to worry about."

"I love you." I hug him.

"I love you too, Kairi." He lets me go. But I need to get outta here. "Later. Nice to meet you Miss Fischer. Sora." He waves and runs off. I turn to Miss Fischer.

"Ma'am?" I ask. "Is it okay? I'll take care of him. I'm not going back to school either."

"Why not?" She asks worriedly.

I look away. "I wouldn't concentrate. Too much to worry about. My mom understands. She'll let me come home." That last part was a lie. Sora knows that. "I'll go straight home after I drop him off if you want." I figure he's told her how we feel about each other.

"No. If you're not going back to school, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep an eye on him." My jaw drops slightly.

"_Okay, maybe he didn't say anything to her._ Yes ma'am." I nod. "Do you want me to go back home when Yuna and Aerith get home?"

"If you want. I trust you two."

I look down, flattered. "Thanks."

"I'll call your mom and tell her not to worry" she says and leaves.

Sora looks at me shocked. "You're gonna stay? After you drop me off."

I blush. I can tell. "Yeah. Do you mind?"

He stammers, "No. Not at all. Just… yeah."

I smile. "Cool. Let's go." I hold out my hand. I'm in a better mood now. I don't see how, but I feel safer somehow. I let him lean on me and I walk him to the docks. I let him get in the boat first. It's a tight fit for us both to be in one boat, but we suffice. I row us back there. It's a lot harder when I'm taking two people instead of my normal one person. Myself. He offers to help a few times, but there's no way I'm letting him do any kind of physical labor.

**Author's Note: So that's Chapter X. tear I almost cried. Not really. C'mon, I'm the author here! lol. So… you met Kaiyo. And for all of you out there that know Fruit's Basket. I stole Kyou. Kinda. Kaiyo is my Kyou, or Kyo. The spelling's close too. But if you noticed, Kaiyo has orange hair and red eyes. And immediately translated, Kaiyo, or Kaiyou literally means "ocean," so yeah, it fits perfectly. So for all you Kyou lovers out there, here you go. tomatoes come flying past me No!!! Sorry Yuki fanclub!!! Don't kill me! KYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hides behind an angry Kyou YAY! Bye!!! (Review please)**


	11. Dear Osamu

**CHAPTER XI: DEAR OSAMU**

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my true love. I'm sorry, Sora, but here's to you, Osamu Danson. Osamu is also based off a real person. The real Danson I'll never stop caring about you, D.L.R.**

**Osamu's POV: **Getting the Girl

I get to lunch finally. Today's been a long day, but I'm glad lunch is here. Don't know where I'm gonna sit, but it's okay. If nothing else, there's always Kairi this lunch. If she's not sitting with Sora anyway… I walk in and go to where she sits. She's not here. _"Where is she?"_Another one of her friends comes by and I stop her. "Hey, where's Kairi?"

She stops and kinda blinks at me. "Huh? You didn't hear? She was called to the office just now."

"Really?"

"…Yeah. I think Sora went with her. I was right behind them."

"You know why she was called up there?"

She shakes her head. "N-no…" She looks away. Wow. Her friends are really shy.

"_Wait…"_She looks back at me and smiles a little. I smile back at her. I laugh a little at her. "Don't worry about it." I turn around and walk back to where Sora sits. He sits with some guys from our Athletics class. Allows me to get to know them better. I sit where Sora does.

One turns to me. "Hey, Fischer sits there."

I shrug carelessly. "He's not here."

"He was earlier."

"Not now. I think he went with Kairi."

"So, he's coming back. Move" another says. My jaw tightens. This guy has a way of putting me on edge. I stand up and slam in the chair. I go get another and come back, making room. The same boy turns to me again. "Can't you take a hint? Get outta here." He squints at me rudely. "Who are you anyway?"

"I transferred here today. I know Sora and I have Athletics with you." I shrug. Okay… maybe I don't _really _know Sora, but hey, at least I know Kairi.

He laughs at me, making fun. I don't care. I stand straighter. I don't put up with shit like this. Ever. "So, what? He's the only person you know?"

"No. I know Riku and Kairi too."

"What are you their fourth wheel or something?" Another pipes up with.

The one before him, looks at me. "So you know Kairi? Weren't you in here yesterday to see her?"

"Yeah," I respond. I don't like where this is going.

"Are you two together?" He seems to get a little irritated at the idea.

"No. We decided not to. We're better as friends." It's true and I believe it is. Despite some of my urges. Sometimes, I noticed at the party, I wanted to kiss her. I kept smiling at her with that same stupid grin that all my girlfriends have said makes me look 'really cute.' And I loved it. I'm not usually like this. Back at my old school… I'd jump on my friends, tackle them, run them over. Hell, some teachers even teased me about being gay. But I'm not and everyone knows it. I just do good impressions. Here, I haven't had much of the chance. And the only reason I started hanging out with the group that Riku hangs out with is because I met Riku at that party and liked him. So, we hung out a few times. And that's when I was introduced to all the guys. It's stupid I know now, but Riku's okay. But after I saw Kairi day before yesterday, and I saw how solemn she was with her own thoughts, I felt like I really wanted to cheer her up. And I still really want her to give me a chance. Unfortunately, she has her heart set on someone else, and she's not letting anyone else in right now. I know the feeling. I don't blame her. I've done that myself. I don't mean to clam up here. It's unlike me. Maybe it's because I'm really mad at this guy. He asks too many questions about Kairi. Two too many in fact. Yeah, even if she's my friend, I'm still not gonna let people do this shit. She doesn't have to be my girlfriend.

"Really…" He says with a smirk. I want to send him through the wall. "Good."

"Why do you care?" I ask with an attitude.

"Because. Well… since you're new here, I might as well tell you. …Kairi and I are sort of an item. But she's not the most loyal person, if you know what I mean." I know what he means all right. He's an asshole who doesn't know what's in his own face.

"Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to keep an eye out."

The bell rings and I go back to class. Sora never came back, and I didn't see Kairi either. Maybe they snuck in when I wasn't looking and grabbed a table themselves. I hope he takes his chance with her. She's not the type of person to let go of a friendship like they have even _after _a breakup. I stop in the doorway to turn around and look again, when someone runs into me. "Sorry!" I hear as the person stops to see who they bumped into. It's that girl from before. She seems more willing to talk to me now. I smirk again at her. She's cute. "Oh, hey." She says, "uh… Didn't mean to bump into you there."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

She holds out her hand. "Chloe." I take it and smile back at her.

"Osamu."

She smiles with a little laugh. "I know. You're the guy from yesterday. The one who was supposed to be going out with Kairi. But… you aren't?" She seems a little confused. Now I am.

"Huh?"

"Kairi posted something on myspace yesterday about you and her not being together."

"Oh… I'll have to check it out. I didn't know she _had _a myspace. Really, we were only thinking about it because of Sora."

"What?" I lost her again.

"She wanted to make him jealous."

"How?"

"Well, they _do _like each other. But…" I stop myself. I'm so stupid. "You didn't know, did you?"

"She never told me…" her words fade off in thought. "So that's why she's been acting a little different and staring off in space more."

"Yup."

"Did you really leave that on her neck?"

"Nope." I already pretty much gave everything away. Why not the rest?

"So… who did?" She pauses. I'm not gonna answer that. "It wasn't Sor…uh." She stops when I nod, eyes closed. "She never told me about this? I mean, I heard rumors, but I didn't think she'd actually…" I shrug. This girl's fun to listen to.

"I think I was the only one she told for a while." Her mouth drops a little in surprise.

"Wow."

"She'd probably appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else. I didn't even mean to tell you. I thought you already knew."

"No. But I won't tell anyone. I can understand why she wouldn't…" The tardy bell rings.

"Shit! Didn't mean for you to be late."

"It's okay. I'm out now anyway. I'm a junior, but I get out early for work program."

"Where do you work?"

"Kohl's. Back in the Customer Service."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She smiles. How did we get off topic? I don't want to go back to it now.

"Do you like it there?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun. Lots of stuff to do when it comes to the holidays."

"I can imagine. That must suck."

"It does then." She giggles.

"Well, I still have class, so I better get going. At least I have the excuse of not knowing where my class is."

"Okay." She waves bye. I smile in return and start to walk away. I stop and turn around after a few seconds and run back to her. Suddenly my heart's pounding and my palms get sweaty. She's walking away from me.

"Hey." I try to keep my voice even. She turns around. I don't ever get this way when asking for a girl's number or myspace or anything. But she turns around. She's a little red. She was the whole time we were talking, I realize. That's so weird!

"Yeah?"

"You have a cell phone? _Of course you do._"

"Yeah."

"Can I have your number?" She breaks out in a big smile.

"I thought you liked Kairi."

"I did. But she's never gonna give me a chance. So, I'm okay. It doesn't really bother me. _Not right now anyway._"

"Do you still?"

My heart falls. Yes. I can't just stop. But I'm not gonna lie either. "Maybe a little."

"Does she know that?"

"Yeah."

"Is she okay with it?"

"I sure hope so. She's still a good friend." I think my heart's about to pop outta my chest.

She walks up to me. "Okay." She takes my hand and a pen, writing down her number.

"You're not gonna put some other number down, are you?"

She giggles. "No. That'd be mean."

"Who said you aren't?"

Her mouth drops and she scoffs playfully. "Why do you say that?" She teases back.

"Well, I don't know you that well yet."

"Does that mean you plan to?"

"Well, I'd like to know you better than that." I give her that cocky smile. She looks down and blushes.

"Thanks for telling me the truth about Kairi. At least I know you're a good guy and you tell the truth." She leans up and kisses me on the cheek. No one's ever done that before. She giggles and inch away after she kisses me and walks away. I feel free to breathe the air I've been holding in as my hearts slows.

After school finally ends, I txt her. I'm going to find Kairi, add her, then go to her profile and add her to my friends. _"Hey, im adding u."_I txt.

"_who is this?"_ I get back.

"_Osamu"_

"_oh, hey. Srry. Ok. Ill get on this evening."_

"_yeah, I g2get home first anyway."_

"_where do u live? I can pik u up and driv u if u want."_

"_no. I can drive. Don't worry bout it. I liv on the othr side of the island. We'r moving closr tho. Prolly around tat subdivision."_

"_really? I liv ther. Mak sur to tell me wen u get settld in."_

"_sur thing"_

"_lol. Ok. Ttyl."_

"_latr"_I close my phone and put it up. After I add her, I'm inviting her to go do something. Maybe a movie or Starbucks or something. I just hope she likes coffee. Oh well, if not, I can introduce her to some other things. Like cream based stuff. So, I get home and do that. She replies almost immediately with a 'when?' I reply whenever she wants. She says she doesn't care. I say how about tonight? That she'll be home before 9, and that I can pick her up at 6. She says it sounds great and asks where we're going. I offer Starbucks. She doesn't like coffee all that much, like I thought and explain the other things she can get there. She agrees and we sign off to get ready. It's already 4:30. It's a 30 minute drive to her house to pick her up and I should probably take a shower, even though I just took one this morning.

I get to her house around 5:59. Right on time. I knock and someone answers. It's a boy about 15.

"You here for Chloe?" I hear Chloe back there.

"Hey, Trey! Leave him alone!" She pushes him out of the doorway and smiles at me. "Don't worry about him. He's just my kid brother." She giggles.

I laugh. "Oh."

"My dad's not home yet. He's in construction and we never know when he'll be here. Maybe you can meet him if you want."

"Maybe not tonight. _A little too much too fast._"

She smiles. "I understand." Her eyes say something different. We get to Starbucks and she's really quiet.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Did I say something" I ask.

"No."

"What is it?"

"I just… I really _do _understand, but why wouldn't you want to meet my parents?"

I smile and look down embarrassedly. "It's not that I'm a bad kid or that parents don't like me. Most do, but I'm just a little… I was raised not to meet the parents unless it was something as serious as considering marriage." That's true. My parents believe that a lot.

"Oh." She stays blank for a moment longer, then smiles, finding some humor. "Then I'm glad you don't wanna meet them. I'm just used to everyone meeting them."

"I can understand that. You're parents want to know who you're with."

She smiles and looks down. "I guess." We get our coffee and cookies and go sit outside. She tries her cream-based caramel macchiato, smiling as she does.

"You like it?" I ask, wiping some off her top lip and laughing at her a little.

"It's good."

"Try this." I hand her mine. It's the same, only coffee-based. She does, and she gets more foam on her lip. I let her wipe it off this time. She smiles.

"You're right. The coffee's better."

"And _you_ didn't believe me." She sticks her tongue out at me playfully. I smile with a laugh in my throat.

"What?!" She asks.

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"Bite me." She says, smiling again.

"I would, but don't you think that's moving a little fast?"

Her mouth opens again the way it did before in surprise. She laughs. "You're full of it, aren't you?"

I smirk and look down. "Not really."

"Uh-huh." She's playing with me. She gets up and holds out her hand.

"What?"

"Come here."

"Where?"

"Just come with me." I take her hand and we travel the strip mall until we reach a place. _Gravity_.

"What is this store?"

"Just a clothing store. It's a little skater, but I think we can have fun."

I laugh. "_This is so random_! Okay…?" We walk in and look around. We go back to the hats and try on a bunch of random stuff. She tries on a beanie and a cowgirl hat along with some other stuff that make her look cute. I try on a few. Mostly ones that make her laugh. She looks at purses after that, and I grab one she wants, saying it's _my_ color. She giggles at me and agrees. I decide to go ahead and buy it for her. But we also look at sunglasses and coats and she picks out clothes for me to try on. Random mixes and matches that don't fit my personality at all. The workers must think we're crazy. After I try to come out from changing, she pushes on the stall, not letting me out.

"No!" she squeals. She suddenly lets it go and I come flying out. I grab her and throw her in it. Now her turn! "Hey! I'm claustrophobic!" I let her out. "Ha! Fooled you!" she's in my face, gloating. I really want to kiss her now.

I look at my watch instead. "_Shit!_ Sorry, Chloe, but we gotta go."

She stops laughing. "Why?"

"It's like, 10."

"No way!" She looks at her phone and gasps. "Dammit! I'm in so much shit!" I quickly buy that purse and we head out and throw away our coffee trash. I get to her house to drop her off. "Thanks. I had a great time."

"Me too. I'll walk you to the door. I guess I can make an exception about meeting parents so I can apologize for keeping you out to late."

"Thanks…" I walk her up there. She's about to unlock the door and I grab her arm purposefully, trying to see her reaction. She looks back at me widely. As if anticipating what I might do. It may be a first date, and I'm not accustomed to do this, but when something just feels right, go for it. I lean down, cupping her face in my hand, placing my other hand lightly on her hip. My lips claim hers and she wraps her arms around my back. I start to pull away but she doesn't let me. That makes me want to open that door, push her in the bedroom and claim more than her lips. I'm no angel, but I sure as hell can respect a girl. My hands stay in check, my mouth has one focus and I'm still in complete control. Despite what my hormones say. Actually, I think she's having the harder time. But she pulls away and we take a breather. I take my hands off her and sigh, looking at her. "Thanks for the great time. I've been wanting to do that all night." She says. I about crumble.

"Not hard to imagine. I have too."

"Really?!" She smiles and sighs, as if relieved.

"Yeah."

"Thanks. I was worried about coming on too strong."

I shrug. "I don't mind. I'll say no if you _do_ come on too strong, but I think we just wanted to kiss each other there" I say, trying to lighten the mood. I hate awkward silences.

"Yeah." She unlocks the door. "I'm home! Uh… Osamu's here too! Sorry I'm late!" Her mom comes in, followed by her tired dad.

"Where were you?" Her mom asks worriedly.

"We went to Starbucks, mom. Like I said. But I kinda changed the plans and we went to the _Gravity _store."

"It's my fault" I chime in. "I should've watch the clock better. Don't be mad at her."

Her mom ignores me. "Why didn't you call?"

"We were already an hour late when I looked at the clock. I'm really sorry."

"Go to bed." Her mother orders her. She looks to me with a stern look. I swallow.

After she's in bed, definitely not sleeping, her parents sit me down and we talk. I tell them how it was all my fault and that she shouldn't get in trouble for it. To my surprise, they're okay with it. The fact that we both stepped up to explain and didn't offer any excuses, plus the fact that we weren't afraid to talk to them. At least not that they know. After I get permission to take her out again, I go home. It's midnight by the time I get there. I strip down to my boxers and crawl in bed.

**Author's Note: So, there's Osamu's chapter. And surprisingly, it was a long one. And if anyone asks who D.L.R. is, I'm not telling. XP. You'll have to find out for yourselves. Lol. And sorry for cutting in for this in the middle of well… something going on. I'm sure everyone likes to see Sora get beat up. tear He's my video game love. Kyo's my anime love, and D.L.R. is my first love. Now that I've spelled it out, I'm gonna go cry. Lol. JK! But I hope you enjoyed it. And the personality isn't the same as D.L.R.'s real personality. But the part about jumping on people… yeah. I'm in love with a dork. Well… used to be. Review please. Watcha think of my man?**


	12. Running Away

**CHAPTER XII: RUNNING AWAY**

**Kairi's POV: **Don't you just LOVE older sisters?

After I get to Sora's house, I help him to his bed and let him get in. "I'm really sorry, Sora," I say, wanting to cry again. He laughs it off, but I know he really hurts.

"It's okay, Kairi."

I hug him, bending over his ed. "No, it's not." I sniff.

"Please stop crying," he says gently. He pushes me away some and pulls back his covers. "C'mon…" he says. I crawl up beside him, snuggling him. He wraps his arm around me and keeps me close. I think I fall asleep first. We wake up in the same position, only Yuna's waking us up.

She crosses her arms smugly. "You know, mom's not gonna like this."

Aerith comes in behind her and sees us. "Ooohh!"

Sora lets go of me and groans. "Shut up, Aerith." He apparently re-thinks what he's about to say, and changes his attitude. "Why don't you go to your room and I'll come in later to talk to you? Okay?"

"But I wanna know too!"

"I'll tell you. I promise. Bu Yuna and I really need to talk right now."

"Fine…" She leaves again and Yuna opens her mouth again.

"You know, just because _you're _stupid and get yourself in a fight you can't handle, doesn't mean you can get away with anything."

I speak up before he can. "It's my fault he got in a fight.."

"He could've said 'no,'" she says.

"Not really," I say, "He wasn't even expecting it." I don't really like Yuna. We don't get along much. But I've kinda grown up with her too.

"Then why'd you put him in a fight? Did you _want _to see him get hurt?"

"No, she didn't." It's the first thing he's said yet. "She told me to go to lunch. I wouldn't listen."

"At least I can believe _that_." She's being really unbearable, to put it kindly. "But it's still no excuse for you to be sleeping with your girlfriend."

"_AM I his girlfriend? He never said I was… But…"_

"Like I never caught _you _with your boyfriends? And you do worse stuff than this with them." There's a pause. "And _I _never said anything." Yuna shuts her mouth.

"Fine!" She storms out. He laughs a little.

"What?" I ask.

He stretches and flinches from the pain. He ignores it and puts his arm around me again. "Nothing. I knew that'd work."

I stare off into space again and think about the accusation Yuna put on us. "Boyfriend and girlfriend." I don't know if that's true. _"Should it be? Kazuo… I don't want this to happen again. I guess I CAN always run away, like Kaiyo said. _Hey, Sora?"

His eyes are closed again and he's about to drift off. "Hmm?" I hesitate and he opens his eyes, sensing something's wrong. "What's up?"

"Uh… Yuna said something about us…"

He smirks. "The 'girlfriend' thing?"

I try to smile. "Yeah."

"What about it? I really like you, Kairi, and I decided that if I'm not gonna be your friend, I wanna try for something else."

I lean on his shoulder. "What about Kazuo?"

"What about him? The next time he comes, I'll be ready for him."

I smile. "I'm leaving when I'm 18. You know that."

"Well, if nothing happens, I'll go with you."

I giggle sadly. "You can't."

"Then stay here," he says, but immediately rethinks it. He takes his arm out from around me. "I'm sorry. I don't know why—" I put my finger to his mouth.

"It's okay." I take my finger away. "I was thinking about running away anyway."

"Really?" He seems surprised. It's not like me.

"Yeah. I don't want to marry him. Can you blame me?"

**Sora's POV: **Hope's Rising

I feel a lot happier suddenly. What she just said… She doesn't know it, but she's saying there's hope. Not like I gave up on it anyway. "I guess not." I smile and wink at her. This girl makes me feel so good. When she miles, my whole body feels it. And it shakes me, in a way no one else can. I'm about to put my arm around her again, but she leans over and pulls out her phone. She groans.

"I gotta go. My mom's gonna want to know where I was." She gets up and stops. I see a tremor trail down her back.

"What?" He sounds really worried.

"Sora, I lied. My mom's not gonna understand. She probably already knows about today. I can't go home."

"What do you think she'll do?"

He back is still to me. I want to get up and go to her, wrap my arms around her, comfort her, love her. But I can't because of my injuries and it's too soon. Too soon for these feelings. Just because we both feel these things, doesn't mean it's okay. "I don't know," she says, with fear I didn't even know she was capable of having.

"So what are you going to do?" The doorbell rings and I hear Yuna call it.

A moment later, she yells again. "Kairi! Your mom's here!" She turns to face me and comes back, eyes wide and pleading.

"You can't let me go!" She pleads, "Sora, you're the only one who knows! Please, say something to her."

"What do you want me to say?" Her mom comes in the room. _I'm _even scared now. _"Kairi, I'm sorry. I don't know what to do!"_

"C'mon, Kairi. I think you've been over here long enough. You're lucky I let you stay here this long," her mom says stoically.

Kairi's voice is quiet, almost inaudible. "Yes ma'am." I feel an urge. My body shakes and I want to jump up and guard the door. I want to protect her. But instead of doing that, I make what may be the worst decision I will ever make, and let her go.

**Kairi's POV: **Taking Off

I lay on my bed in tears. I got home hours ago, and after my argument with my mom, she resolved to sending me to Radiant Garden as soon as possible. Meaning tomorrow. _"No more Sora, Riku, Osamu, Chloe, Yura, or Shelinda. No more anybody. My life is gonna be a hellhole."_As I get carried away, I hear a ding on my computer that startles me. I get up and go over to my computer. It's Kaiyo.

"_Hey, Kairi. Heard you're coming here after what happened today."_

"_I am."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I want to leave."_

"_I don't blame you. I did."_

"_What? Where are you?"_

"_On my laptop in front of your house."_

"_What? Your kidding."_

"_Kairi… let's get outta here."_

"_I'm on the second story."_

"_You told me you have a balcony."_

"_So? How do you expect me to get down?"_

"_You're gonna let THAT stop you?"_

I stop and think, then reply. _"Give me ten minutes."_I grab a bag and stuff it with clothes, run to the bathroom and get my toothbrush and other personal things. I start to head out and stop. My computer dings again. I grab my purse and a photo album. I go onto my balcony and whisper down at him. "Catch!" He gets in position and I throw my stuff down to him. "I'll be back in a minute!"

"More?!" He whispers up. I go back in my room and throw my pillow down to him. Then I head downstairs. I try to sneak out, but my mom stops me.

"Where are you going?" I stop and close my eyes.

"Nowhere."

"Then why are you going outside?"

I think of a believable lie. "I… I have to think."

"About what?"

I blow up. "You're taking me away from my boyfriend, my friends! What do you_ think_ I have to think about?!"

"Don't raise your voice to me!" I want to leave now, but she can't follow me. "I am your mother and sooner or later you have to accept who you are."

"_That's not all I am, and I'm changing it anyway. _Yes ma'am. I just… gotta take it in."

She sighs impatiently. "Go."

I take advantage of this and slowly go to the door. After I shut the door, I run to Kaiyo. His smile is revealed by the light from the house windows. "You sound like me and dad."

"Yeah," I say sadly.

"You don't want to go, do you?"

"N-no. I do. _I do_. I just… This is all I know. I'm not leaving Destiny Islands."

"I know."

"So where are we going?"

"Don't you want to talk to Sora?"

"We can't stay there."

"I wasn't saying that. But you're not going to school tomorrow."

I think. "Right."

"You don't want our mom to know where you are at all. Is there anywhere we can go?"

"_She'd expect Sora. Then Riku. Maybe Osamu? No! But she knows everyone else…"_We walk past an old house from my memories. I instinctively know who's it is. I grab Kaiyo's sleeve. _"__She'll keep it secret. _Selphie…"

"What?"

"An old friend."

Flashback:

"_I'll always s be here for you!"_

"_I love you, Selphie!"_I remember I was crying… she cheered me up. That was first grade…

"_Don't ever not think about me, okay? If you ever need to run away."_That's right… It was my mom again.

End Of Flashback

"We can say there. Mom wouldn't think about it. Her parents wouldn't say anything if we asked." I reply.

"We can try."

**Sora's POV:**

It's close to an hour before midnight and I can't sleep. Maybe because Kairi and I slept for 2 hours, but more likely because I really wish I would have jumped up and stopped them. I feel responsible for what happens to her. My door opens and my mom pokes her head in.

"Kairi's here," she says. I sit up when she leaves and Kairi comes in.

She smiles sadly. "It's okay."

"What's wrong?" She's still worrying me.

"I ran away. Kaiyo's with me."

"What?!"

"If I didn't, I'd be gone and married by tomorrow."

"No!" Why is this happening?

**Author's Note: So that's Chapter 12. Kairi's running away? Weird. Well… I wonder what Selphie's gonna say when Kairi and Kaiyo show up. lol. Just keep reading. After you review, of course. **


	13. ORGANIZATION’S NUMBER 13: ROXAS

**CHAPTER XIII: ORGANIZATION'S NUMBER 13: ROXAS**

**Sora's POV:**Intimacy

"I know."

"So where are you going?" My jaws dropped. How was I supposed to expect this?

"I've been thinking, and I think I need to go to Selphie's." This keeps me quiet. Also unexpected. "That means I can stay here and still be with you."

I get up. _"Screw it!"_I think about my injuries, I put my hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

She looks up defiantly. "Positive." I hug her. Her body presses against my broken ribs, but I don't feel it. Not after this. I just feel the warmth of her against me. I want to hold on forever. It's stupid… She backs away first. "You need your rest. You need to heal. Homecoming's next week."

"You're more important than some stupid dance."

"What about Blitzball tryouts coming up?"

"Who cares?" She smiles. _"I made her smile… at least I can do SOMETHING right"_I wipe her hair away from her face and smile at her with a hopeful half-grin.

"Thank you." She says softly, staring into my eyes. Probably because I can't tear away from hers. I cup her face again and caress her cheek with my thumb. She closes her eyes and leans into it. I take a step closer, and stop caressing. I let my hand trail down to hers and lean down to allow our lips to meet for the third time.

**Kairi's POV: **Finding Promise

His eyes show a promise. I don't know what it is, but lately, their deepness is getting deeper and deeper. He himself is hard to look at. He's bruised with purple, blue and black colors, around his face and chest. But that's wrapped up for protection. I don't know why I let myself get caught up in those eyes. It's going to get me in trouble someday. With our fingers laced and our lips compressed, I can feel the promise I see in his eyes. His door opens and I feel another presence in the room.

"Sora…" I hear his mom say. It's stern, but pleasant. He breaks away and acknowledges her. "Get in bed. Kairi and I need to talk." He smiles to her a little guiltily, and a little trustingly.

"Yes ma'am" he says and obeys. I smile at him and follow her.

"Your _brother _told me everything. Sit down." She's quiet and charming. I've always liked him mom. "Is it okay if he talks to Sora?" I look to Kaiyo.

I nod and he smirks at me, indicating that it's nothing too bad. He says, "Thanks. I'll be right back."

**Kaiyo's POV: **Doing a Real Favor

I just open the door and step into the room I perceive to be Sora's, following the way I saw Kairi and Ms. Fischer come from. He sits up, surprised. "Rest" I command. He looks at me unsure. "I brought something for you. Since your stupid ass can't handle a damn fight, I figured you could use this." I toss him a bottle after the tease.

He holds it up in the light and looks at it. "What is it?"

"_Man he looks like shit."_ I sit down. "Drink it. _This will really help._"

"What's in it?"

I laugh a little. "Don't ask. It'll make you feel better. Real fast. That's what's important." The stuff in there is the nastiest shit in the world. He really _doesn't _want to know. He opens it and takes a sip, grimacing at the taste and chugs the rest. He grimaces again. I can see the effects already. "Better?" It's a stupid question.

He sits up, then pushes his ribs in. "What was that?" I grab the bottle from him.

"You _really _don't wanna know." I start to leave and he chases after me. Exactly what I want him to do.

"No. It's like I never got in that fight. What was it?"

"A miracle?" I suggest with a laugh. "Magic?" I laugh more.

"Yeah right!" I walk out and he follows me. Kairi stands up in surprise and I smirk. She looks at me with wide eyes.

"What'd you do?" She can see the difference. He has no more bruises, black, blue _or_ purple. He looks perfectly healthy. In fact, he is.

"Took a few things from the palace before I left." I'm so proud of myself. "Just a few remedies." Kairi smiles. I've told her about it before. She hugs me enthusiastically.

"Thank you!!!" She lets go and hugs Sora just as much. I won't tell her what I had to do to get that, either.

**Selphie's POV: **Disturbance on the Property

I jerk up from my bed, suddenly awake. I look at my clock. _"1:00"_I hear a noise outside my house. A male voice.

"Shut up!" It's hushed and low, as if not trying to wake anyone. I slowly get outta bed.

"Ouch!" I hear a female voice say and some bushes rustling.

"_What's going on?!"_ I make my way into the kitchen, not turning on any lights, and quietly find my way to the drawer my parents told me about. They're off on a date tonight and don't get home until sometime during the day. This happens whenever they go on a date. They told us from day 1, so those voices are not theirs. And I'm an only child. I get to the drawer and slowly open it, sliding out the offensive object that mocks me with the reflections of the stars outside the window on its sleek black handle. I have never fired a gun and I hoped I'd never have to. My breathing is now slow, erythematic, I'm sweating and my heart feels like it's about to burst from my chest. I tiptoe out of the house onto the stoop and wait.

**Kairi's POV: **Shot

"You're gonna wake up the whole neighborhood!" I'm quietly scolded by Kaiyo.

I return sarcastically. "_I'm _sorry. I'm not _used _to sneaking around this late in someone else's _yard_!" I whisper back.

"Who's out there?!" I hear a scared voice demand.

"Great job!" he scolds again.

"I have a gun!" Selphie declares.

"She can't shoot a gun" I reassure Kaiyo quietly.

"Come out!" She's completely terrified. I yell out to her.

"Selphie, it's me! Don't shoot! It's Kairi." I walk into the dim light, hands up.

"Kairi?! What are you doing?!" She puts the gun to her side. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah."

"I heard a guy…"

Kaiyo comes out. "That'd be me." She jumps, letting her arms flail in the direction of the new voice and fires accidentally, apparently not noticing him at all. I gasp at the sound and at the worry for my brother. There's silence after the shot.

"_Is he okay? _Kaiyo?" He just stands there. Selphie aims again toward him, apparently wanting to hit him. "No! Selphie!" She stops and looks at me, still ready to shoot. She's shaking, though. "Just don't shoot. He's with me. Just let me explain. We're not here to cause trouble."

"Who is he?" She demands, not backing down.

"His name's Kaiyo. He's my brother."

"What?! Since when?!"

"Put it down! Please! I'll explain everything." She bends to my pleading and stands down. "Thank you."

**Selphie's POV: **Are They Crazy?

"_I can't believe this… a princess? A prince? Is she crazy? What do I say? Do I let her stay or turn her in? Could this really be true? If I let them crash for the night, and mom and Cid actually let them stay here, Kaiyo would be here too… He IS cute. It'd be a little weird still. What if he's crazy too? He agrees with her. Sora buys it… But he's really naïve. So is his mom, however much we all love her. I have to say SOMETHING."_

"So…?" Kairi prompts, hoping for a good answer and giving me a you-can't-say-no smile. I sigh. It's true.

"I'll get a blanket. Your brother can sleep on the couch. You can sack out with me. I have school tomorrow, though."

"Thank you!!!" She throws her arms around me in a big hug. I'm surprised. I just stand there.

**Osamu's POV: **Memories Come at the Worst Times

The guys surround me as we laugh and joke about stupid stuff at some party a friend of mine from a different school is having. I look up and notice a group of girls coming towards us. In the middle of them is a redhead with lilac-blue eyes. I watch, or rather stare at her until she meets my gaze and locks it. I feel a friend nudge me. _"Dude, she's hot!"_I put a hand up to shut him up. The girls come up to us, one being the hostess herself, Angel. She's a sweet, responsible girl throwing a chaperoned, PG party.

"_Hey, Osamu…"_she says sweetly, indicating she wants something from me.

"_What?"_I ask expectantly. I look over to the redhead and she's not looking at me anymore.

"_Could you go pick up my brother at 9:30 from his game? My mom's not going because she has to keep an eye on the party."_Yeah… I'm the only one that can drive. Of course she'd ask me.

I sigh. _"Okay."_She squeals and hugs me.

"_I love you!"_

"_On one condition…"_I turn to pretty-eyes. _"If I can have YOUR number."_ She's cute. Relaxed. She seems like a really good person to know, even if it doesn't go anywhere. If it does, great! If not, then I made a new friend.

She smiles and looks down, flattered. She looks back up, head cocked, a devious look in her eye and a smirk on her lips. _"Not on your life."_

I smirk. She's serious, but also flirting. Okay… _"Burn!"_I hear a friend say. Heck, I don't care. I already have a comeback.

I bend over, leaning a little closer, making sure to keep my distance. I'm not a creep. I'm not gonna push. But I _will _flirt. _"I'll have you know, my life's not worth much."_

She opens her mouth some with a flattered smile and cocks her head again. _"Why don't we talk first?"_She turns around and walks away.

"_Okay."_I follow her.

I roll over, waking up. That was when I met her. When she told me about Sora. _"I don't know what got me to tell you about him. I've never told anyone."_That's when we also became friends. She's a friend I don't wanna lose. But she's also said that I remind her a lot of Sora. But, I'm not Sora. She knows that. I could never _be _Sora.

"_Well, Kairi, that's okay, because… I found someone a lot like you too. Someone you could never be. I like her a lot too. I like you, but this is someone I could definitely see myself with more. It's not you, but after tonight, I don't care."_I look at the clock beside my bed. _"3:14. It's gonna be a long night…"_

**Author's Note: So, I'm back on track. But man… I hate coming up for names of chapters. . And while I'm in school, I've been coming writing in a journal to continue this story, so readers, I'm putting some major effort into this story. Please review. I may have to stop writing if I don't get much feedback. I have a lot on my plate. I don't want to this to drop this to make more time for school or work. I have enough of that. So, review. PLEASE! **


	14. A Whole New World

**CHAPTER XIV: A WHOLE NEW WORLD**

**Kairi's POV: **Introducing the Intruders

I wake up around 10 and stretch. I feel bad for skipping school, but I'd feel worse if I were dragged to Radiant Garden because of it. Selphie and I resolved everything last night. About Seifer, about our sneaking around last night, about Sora, everything. It feels so good. I have my best friend back. And now we're stronger than ever. I sit up in the bed and yawn. It's a beautiful blue outside. I can hear birds singing. I know they won't last much longer… It's almost Fall. Meaning cold weather. It always snows in the Winter. Not my favorite season, but it's better than Fall or Spring. Sora likes Spring the most. He likes the rain. Rainy days make me cold and depressed. So, having Sora around in the Spring will really help. But today's not one of those days. Today's a good day. Today I feel free. I step out of the bed onto the cold wood floor with my bare feet and pink-painted toenails. I tiptoe to the living room and see Kaiyo asleep on the couch. "Aww…" I squeal quietly. It's so sweet… I love to watch guys sleep. I creep over to the door to make sure Selphie locked it when she left, then I sit and wait for her parents to get home.

An hour and a half later, I hear a car pull in and two doors shut. I sit up straighter. Kaiyo's still sleeping and the couch he's on is directly in front of the door. _"This should be interesting."_

I hear it unlock as Mrs. Tilmitt and Selphie's step-dad, Cid, walk in. Firstly, they see Kaiyo. Her mom grabs an umbrella in a stand defensively, waving it wildly and yelling. "What do you think your doing?! GET OUT!" He jerks up to her beating him with the closed weapon and tries his best to block it, despite how groggy he is.

"Ms. Tilmitt!" I shout over her yelling after I stand up. She stops and turns to me.

"Kairi?" Kaiyo grabs the umbrella out of her hand. "HEY!" she tries to get it back.

I stop her gently. "He's my brother." I stop to realize how unexpected that bit of information is and try to correct it. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry?!" Kaiyo yells. "She's beating me!"

I giggle at his expression, and the fact that he's getting beat up by a 38yr old. "I'll explain everything." I tell all three of them. I have a few things to tell Kaiyo about them too.

**Sora's POV: **Fight with Seifer

I get to school and put my head on my desk sadly. "I miss Kairi…" I whine to myself. It's true. It's really boring without her. _"How long have I been depending on her making me so not-bored?"_ I slump through the day until I run into Riku.

"Where were you yesterday?" he asks a bit concerned.

"Huh?" What is he talking about?

"Uh… the BEACH. You and Kairi were supposed to come. But you disappeared yesterday. You know where Kairi was? She didn't come either."

"Oh! Kairi was called to the office because someone she doesn't like wanted to see her. I went with her. Turned out, the guy and I got in a fight. I went home after that. My mom came and got me."

"Who was it?"

"Ah, you don't know him"

"Right"

"But her mom and her got in a fight, so she stayed home today. Well… kinda. She ran away." I say, sobering after the "Well… kinda."

"What?!" he exclaims, really surprised.

"Yeah, but I gotta get to class" I say, rubbing my hand through my spikes. "I'll tell you all about it later." There's a short pause and I roll my eyes. "I promise."

He smirks. "Alright" he starts to walk away.

"Oh" I call after him, making him turn. "You might see me and Kairi together a lot more from now on!"

He stops and turns around. I have a huge smile on my face. "_You_, Sora Fischer, decided to try it? You decided to go out with her?"

"Yeah. I thought it'd be kinda stupid not to…"

"Nice!" He offers his hand for a five. I give it to him.

"You know it! _I can't tell him how I really feel about this. And it's way too soon to tell Kairi. I mean, she's more than pretty… but that's not it at all. It's the way I feel around her. Toward her. And the way she makes me feel. I feel like her 'hero' or something. I WANT to be her hero. I don't know what I'd DO if she left. If she married that creep…"_

"Alright, but I gotta go too. Later." We pound our fists together and he walks off.

Lunch FINALLY comes. Man, I'm starving! I walk in to see _Kairi_ without Kaiyo, being interrogated by Seifer. I can tell she doesn't appreciate it. She probably came to have lunch with me. It'd be like her to do that. He's getting upset, but he's still definitely flirting with her, which is what's making _her _upset, and me. He flirts one way too many and my blood boils. I get right behind him. "Hey Seifer" I say, turning him around. "I told you to leave her alone!" _Smack! _Square in the jaw.

"Sora!" Kairi cries out in surprise. He's knocked back a little and comes blazing back, flying at me with everything he has. In other words… not much. I step to the side and trip him. He falls flat on his face.

"Bastard!"

"_Okay, not that I'm in this fight and I started it, I have to finish it."_I slam my elbow into his back with an elbow drop as he tries to get up. He falls to the floor with a grunt. Kairi just sits and watches, afraid to get involved, but understanding enough to let me do this. I let him get back up and he sends punches my way. This keeps going. And going. And going. Nowhere. A few teachers come break us up. I stop fighting, completely in control of my actions, which is more than what I can say for Seifer. "Now maybe you'll listen" I say, still upset, but pleased.

"That's enough boys" A teacher pipes in. "We're calling you parents. Kairi come with us. We're calling yours too."

She freezes and her eyes get big. I know what she's scared of. I suddenly have the urge to break outta this and go to her. But I stay, intently watching all her facial expressions. "Please don't call her."

"NOW, miss Hannon."

"_Either she goes with us and is forced to go to Radiant Garden and marry that guy, or she's gonna bolt from here forever."_I see her hang her head. She follows. I give into my urge and push myself from the teacher holding me and go to her. "What are you doing?! Get outta here!" I recommend.

"Sora…" she says softly. "I don't wanna run form something my whole life."

"Then run _to _something! _Quit implying things!"_I chastise myself.

"I'd rather stand and defend it" she says with assurance. Oh my gosh, it makes me love her more! I can't stand it!

By this time, we've reached the office. The pain I feel from what she's doing is penetrating me. Now I plead with her. "Don't go"

"I won't." She doesn't seem so sure.

They call our parents. My mom's upset, but she'll understand once I explain. Kairi's mom's the one I'm worried about. She's on her way up here now.

**Kairi's POV: **Exit World Destiny Islands

"Good going, Kairi!" I flinch as my mom yells at me in front of everyone. That doesn't matter. It's something else. My eyes water.

"Just quit it already!" Sora jumps up and defends me. She slaps him for it.

"_Why? I have to stand up! _Stop!" She turns to me, pointing and gritting her teeth.

"I'll talk to you later! Do you know hour brother's missing now?!"

I stand taller. "Yes."

"You know where he is" she concludes.

I take a deep breath. "Yes."

"Where is he?"

I feel so childish. "I'm not telling you" she slaps me.

"We're leaving. NOW!" She grabs my wrist and drags me out. I can't get out. Sora jumps up.

"Ms. Hannon, don't" he pleads.

My mom is so heartless. "Find a girl closer to your league. This one's way outta it!"

His eyes close, trying to contemplate some way to convince her. "Why don't you let _her _decide that?" he adds softly, melting my every being. My mom just returns to forcing me out the door.

**Riku's POV: **Little do I Know

I stand outside the office and listen. Kairi's mom's acting like a bitch. She drags her out of the office by the wrist, leaving bruises, and slapping anyone who makes an actual logical comment. She's a lunatic. _"How can someone do that to her?"_

On her way out, Kairi spots me and looks at me in surprise, as if I weren't supposed to be here. "Riku!" And her mom drags her out the door. I look in at Sora, who's on his knees now, collapsed to the floor.

"_He must really like her. And I don't even know what's going on."_

I hear a last plead from him. "You can't…"

"_Okay, now I know I missed something. _What…?" I ask, confused and worried at the same time. Selphie comes in.

"What happened? Where's Kairi?" She goes over to him and kneels down.

He wipes his wet face. "Her mom came and took her. She's gone…" He choked that out like he's never gonna see her again. Selphie looks up at me, as if expecting me to say or do something. I wish I could, but I don't have a clue where to start. I'm in the dark on this one. Maybe she wants me to second that she and her mom left?

I decide to try it. "Yeah, but what's going on?"

She turn back to Sora. "Oh, no…" Now Selphie's just as upset.

"_What the hell is going on here?!"_ She gets up on her knees and hugs Sora, trying to comfort himself and herself. _"Lucky bastard. Why doesn't she ever want ME to comfort her? I actually LIKE Selphie. You have Kairi."_

**Kairi's POV: **Kairi, Daddy… …Daddy, Kairi

We arrive at the gate of the heavily guarded prison my mom likes to call home. Once we get inside, a man comes to us happily, wearing some stupid dress, and hugs me. I grimace. "You've really grown up!" He exclaims, until he notices my reluctance. "What? Surely you remember our own father!" My jaw drops. I don't.

"_No way." _I push him off. "Hi"

He chuckles. "Hi? My dear…"

"Yeah. 'Hi'. Now get me the fastest way back to Destiny Islands."

He loses his all-too-fake jolliness, and straightens his posture. "I see Kaiyo did not come with you."

"She knows where he is" my mother retorts.

"I'm not telling" I say flatly back.

"Pig-headed—!" She raises her hand to me, as if ready to hit me again. I flinch.

"Hey" I hear a voice interrupt "why worry? He's gone. Kairi and I'll just take the thrown instead." I look and see Kazuo sitting, let crossed, hands behind his head in an annoyingly cocky way.

"_Hey, now I have a chance to kill him…" _I haven't forgotten.

"No. She'll tell us one way or another" my mom threatens.

"Oh, that reminds me" my dad snaps his fingers. "Your wedding's going to be at 7."

My eyes widen. _"__Mine?!" _Tonight?!"

"Tonight"

**Sora's POV: **Determination

I bolt for it. I make it out the school doors immediately after I talk to my mom. It's 5th period now, and I don't care if I skip. I run to Selphie's house and almost knock the door down, trying to get someone to come. Finally Cid comes to answer it. All I can say is "Kaiyo?!" He steps back and Kaiyo shows up in front of me. I grab him. "She took her!"

"What?"

"She took Kairi!"

He grabs my face. "Calm down! You're all over the place! Who?"

"Your mom!"

"What?!" Yeah… now he's in my situation. Upset. Very upset.

"How do we get there?" I ask, better now that someone else is just as upset as I am.

"A ship but—!"

"Let's go!" I grab him and drag him to my house.

"Has anyone ever told you your needy?" he teases. I think. Whatever. I ignore it.

We get to my house and I pack a few things and head out again. "Let's get the hell outta here." I say, now determined to get her back. I just walk past him without looking at him.

**Author's Note: Ooohhh… Sora cussed… bad Sora! Bad! Just see what I have in store. I have all the way to XIX **_**done**_**. But I update when I update Moonshine. And now Spring! I hope you all enjoy this! Review!**


	15. That's the Ballgame

**CHAPTER XV: That's the Ballgame**

**Okay, so technically, this may be the last chapter, but I got a review, so I'll give them this. Thanks kagomesgirl2007. I really wanted to be able to put at least this chapter up! I hope you and the rest of the readers enjoy it! But I will warn you… it has its definite "T" moments…**

**Kairi's POV: **Wedding Bells and a Bang

I stand in tears looking up at Kazuo in his black tux. I don't feel his eyes on mine. They're set a _little _lower. I want to cover myself. They're _all_ expecting me to say something. I refuse to. He starts to glare at me. "I said it! Why can't you?!" he demands in a whisper. I stammer and he turns to the Patron. "Excuse her. She's just nervous. Just skip the 'I dos'." The Patron nods.

"I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!" Kazuo forces himself on me as I try to back out of it. Through my repulse, I hear the big doors I came through fly open with a loud bang. Kazuo lets go of me to see himself. On the ground outside the doors, I see unconscious guards, sprawled out. And in front of those guards, standing tall are Sora and Kaiyo.

"What the hell?!" Kazuo complains.

Sora puts a step forward and plants himself firmly. "I object!"

"You're too late, Mr. _Fischer_!"

"On what terms?" asks the Patron.

"She doesn't love him. This is wrong," Sora says, not looking at me, but going off of feeling.

All I can say it "What are you doing here?" He flashes a smile at me as if to answer me.

"Breaking you free."

I try to go to him, but Kazuo stops me. "You're too late."

He loses his confidence after looking at me. "I-I don't care! Let her go!" I blush at the fact that I would claim him, even now. He's cute when he's not sure what to say.

The only reason I _stay _behind Kazuo is because I know I can't get past him, and after what he did to Sora, I don't want to try. Kazuo's not responding and Sora's fidgeting a little. Kazuo's enjoying watching him squirm. I can see that. Apparently, Kaiyo can't. "Let her go NOW, Kazuo!"

"She's mine now. Your timing was off. As usual." Kaiyo runs for him at full speed.

"Go, Kairi" he advises me, taking his anger out on my new husband.

"_I'm married now. I can't go. _I can't."

"What?! Get the hell outta here!"

Forget being married. "What about you?"

"I'll see you later! Get!" I run to Sora's arms and we watch the fight. Kazuo tries to take a run for us, but Kaiyo grabs his legs.

"C'mon, Kairi, we can't wait" Sora nudges me to the door. I follow. As soon as we get out and I get the chance, I bury my head in his firm chest, arms around him, with tears steaming down my face. "Hey…" he says softly, and lifts my chin up so I can look at him. I pull away and go back to making his shirt wet.

"I thought I wouldn't…" I sob into him, heaving up and down hysterically.

"Wouldn't what? Ever see me again? C'mon, you can't get rid of me _that _easily." He leans back and gives me a light smile, trying to cheer me up.

"_I want you to say it. I NEED you to say it!"_

"You know me."

"_No…! You have to say it. Don't dance with me. Say it."_

"We need to get outta here. Let's jump on the ship and go. Before they stop the fight and come after us. Kaiyo will come back."

I look down at my repulsing, white dress. "I need to change."

He thinks. "C'mon. You can borrow my clothes. I brought some. I didn't exactly know how long I'd be here." I nod and let go. He grabs me back softly for a hug and squeezes me tightly. I feel a soft kiss on my head and he rests his on mine, holding me again. I feels so safe in his arms. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I love you."

"_He said it…"_

**Sora's POV: **Sora and Kairi-1, Kazuo-0

"_Okay. I said it. I've been feeling it for a while and now I've said it. What is she going to say? It's too soon for that. I'm so stupid!"_ I hear a whisper and look down at her, still in my arms.

"Thank you. I need that right now, because… I guess… I don't want to be the only one loving." I squeeze her again and avoid her face. My eyes are watering and a few are slipping down my face. I don't want her to see how much it means to me. How much _she _means to me. I want to love her on my own. I don't want any oohs or awws. This is all _my_ love.

"_I have to get her outta here, though. I can hold her back home or on the ship."_I let go of her. "We need to get on that ship." She looks down.

"Okay." I take her hand and she grabs my arm. After we ditch the dress and she's in my clothes, we board the ship, which is more like a ferry than anything. Once onboard, I give into my impulses and hold her wrap my arms around her again. I love the feel of her in my arms. I have no idea how I went this long without it. But she's in a lot better mood now. That's good. She's smiling now. After I gave her my clothes, anyway. She laughed at me. Now we're back to a better place. I can actually _allow _myself to kiss her. She definitely feels up to it. She's been giving me that look since we got on this thing. I kiss her head again. We're out on the deck, watching the waves, sun still high above us. I venture to locate her lips with mine. They meet and she invites them warmly. Their soft texture alluring me all the more. I slip my tongue in softly and she returns it. My mind is already planning how I want to show my love. Not with the passion from before. We find our way to the small room assigned to us for a little less public display. Her hand travels up my chest to my neck as my mouth finds its way to _her _neck. There's no bed in this room, but I wasn't going to do that here anyway. I'm letting myself break my promise. I realize now, that if I do this, she's free of Kazuo. Free of Radiant Garden. Oh, how I want her to be free. She knows this too. This is so slow. So good. I don't want to end it.

We get to the island and we go to the only place we don't expect company—her house. There, we pick up where we left off, after taking a stop at the convenient store, where I just go in. _"I can't believe I'm doing this…"_I can still turn back. But I'm not.

**Kaiyo's POV: **Uh… What now?

They throw me into the cell. "Hey! Lemme outta here! _I can't believe they threw me in the damn PRISON for stealing a few potions! Sure, I had to kill a few guys, who cares? They were assholes anyway. Not letting me in… And so what if I tried to kill that damn Kazuo? He was trying to kill me. Bastard dad of mine… How am I gonna get outta here? Least Kairi got out. Damn that Kazuo! He ruins everything! I hope Kairi DOES kill that bastard. If I don't beat her to it. No… I wanna see Sora do it. That'd be sweet. He's a pussy. He needs to do something."_ I sigh. _"Looks like I'm stuck here for a while…"_ I go into the corner and sit. _"Great… now I'm bored."_

**Kairi's POV: **A Surprising Conversation

I wake up in Sora's arm the next morning. Even better than waking up yesterday… I sigh and look up at him. He's starting to wake up too. "Good morning" I giggle out.

He sighs out sleepily and eyes me, half asleep. "Good morning" he smiles. "What time is it?"

I reach over him and check the time. "9:30"

He groans. "Not yet…"

"What?"

"Not time to wake up yet."

"Oh, go back to sleep" I tease.

He closes his eyes. "You know… there's only one thing that would've made yesterday evening even better" he says, eyes still closed, but awake now.

"What's that?"

He opens them. "It occurred to me when I was going to sleep that I haven't been completely honest with myself."

I smile. He sounds like me. "Oh, really? How?"

"I've always said that I didn't want to have sex before I was married because no one thought a guy could do it. But really… I wanted to wait for marriage because… I knew I'd wake up next to that person, the way I'd wake up to you this morning."

"_How am I supposed to take that? Wait! He wanted to wait? It's my fault he didn't? _Sora, if you would've told me that yesterday, I wouldn't of let it go that far."

"No. Because, I don't regret it. Because even though I won't wake up to you like this every morning, at least not for a while if we're lucky, I still love you. Right here. Right now. And if I didn't do that, then I'd always ask myself what would've happened if I did. I mean, I know without a doubt that you would've married that jerk and been completely miserable. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could've prevented it. So, don't be upset. I just thought I'd tell you."

I rest in the nook of his arm and chest. "Well… then…" I think. "That was a one-time thing. We can start over. From the beginning. Like a new relationship. And this time, we won't let it get that bad."

"I'd like that. But… I don't want a chance of getting carried away."

"You're too careful and loving to get carried away."

"Okay… But are we allowed to _say_ 'love?'"

I think playfully. Of course we are. "I don't know…" I smile at him. "I'd _love _that if we did."

"Alright… but that takes affect after this!" He pulls the covers over our heads and I giggle as he rolls over onto his side and takes my bare shoulders. "I love you." He says with certainty and kisses me.

"Okay?" I giggle. "I love you too." He sits back up, letting the covers fall off him. I sit up. "That's it?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." He smiles at me.

"Dork" I throw a pillow at him.

"Hey!" He rolls on top of me, getting in my face. "That's not very nice."

"What are you gonna do?" I giggle.

He thinks with a funny face. I smile at him stupidly. "Uh… this!" He leans down and gives me a raspberry right beside where my necklace lays. I scream a little from the vibration and giggle. I push him off me.

"Meanie!" I shiver as I sit up.

"You might wanna put on some clothes" he suggests. "You're a little skimpy there." I backhand him lightly in the chest.

"It's because I'm not wearing anything."

"That's not true! I see a necklace!" I lean over and kiss him to get him to shut up. It's a closed-mouth. I withdraw from him. "Hey! You think you can get me to be quiet?"

"I thought it couldn't hurt…" I state back with a smile.

He pushes me off the bed. "Just get dressed!"

**Author's Note: Please no hatey the monkey!!! Lol. Jk jk. So… I really **_**have **_**no comment about this chapter, except that I hope you do. R&R, please, or else I can't put up any more chapters. Okay, Sarah, YOU DON'T COUNT! You've already read this! But readers, no hard feelings! LUV LUV! But just because I wrote this stuff, doesn't mean I want to do that before I'm married. Cause I wanna wait. Lol. But that's just me! I couldn't STAND not waking up next to that same person everyday. And I can't see Sora or Kairi being able to, either. So, if you want the story to go on, please review! **


	16. Discovery's Irony

**CHAPTER XVI: DISCOVERY'S IRONY**

**Author's Note: Okay! I got 2 reviews, so you get two more chapters! This is your first one of the two!**

**Sora's POV: **Tryouts

Two days before Homecoming! Meaning, it's Blitz tryouts! Riku, Tidus, Wakka, Seifer and I along with some other guys have been practicing all week. It's Wednesday, so it's a good day to tryout. I'm so psyched! Kairi's staying with Selphie now, but still no word from Kaiyo. I can tell she's worried. But he'll come back. I know it. Speaking of Kairi, though, Riku's beginning to suspect something. I can tell. The day we got back to school he asked me if I would make it a habit of leaving tings on Kairi as evidence of our relationship. He's not too happy. He also said that he thought we should take it slower. He should be the one to talk! He said that the only way he ever left a hickey on a girl like that is if they, well, I won't finish that. But it's okay if he thinks that, because I haven't done anything but maybe kiss her once or twice with a peck since then. I'm keeping to her and my agreement. But it's hard when I wake up like I did this morning, thinking she'd be beside me.

Anyway… Blitzball. I'm going for captain, only because Kairi thinks I should and it gets _her _to tryout for cheerleading captain. That's tomorrow. She's only doing it cuz I want her to and yeah… I wouldn't tryout for captain if she didn't. It's evil on both our parts, I think. Seifer would hate me if he knew I were, though. Not like he already doesn't, since I'm with 'his girl.' Homecoming is always our first day of practice, which is kinda stupid, but whatever. We get a dance. Kairi already has her dress. She and Selphie went Saturday and Sunday to shop for one. But, I'm at practice now, standing in line to tryout for that stupid position I was forced into. I sigh and smile a little. _"So what? Worst that can happen is I actually get it."_The line consists of Seifer, Tidus, Riku and me. Not a lot of competition in quantity, but it makes me nervous. Since I'm last, so far I've only switch offense and defense in our mini-games. But Riku and I are next for captains of different sides. I'm the White side, and Riku's the Blue side, which just means my team's wearing white shirts and his is wearing blue ones. Seifer wins against Tidus for captain. I see him slump as Seifer rubs it in his face. "Just get on with it!" I yell, trying to speed things up and get Seifer to shut up. The coach blows his whistle and we get in position. Kairi comes in as we start. As we start, I try to cover whatever positions we don't have. Meaning I have to score a lot. That's okay. I practiced this so much. I even made up some of my own shots. Like the Fischer's Throw, and the Sore Shot. They're my most effective ones. I have others. Like Lover's Fling (that I made up this weekend, for Kairi) and the Hurricane Hurl. Lastly, is my oldest and that's the Heaven's Heave. It's probably the worst one I have, because it's a lot like Tidus's Jecht Shot. Not so original or effective. I think Lover's Fling will really surprise everyone. I made sure it was really amazing to see and great to watch. I haven't shown anyone it yet. It might become my best shot. I grab the ball from Seifer and decide to give it away here. I make it, surprisingly, since I haven't practiced it in water yet, except on the beach after dark when I can't see. But that's when everyone's gone. I make the winning point (the 5th point) and we get out of the water. Riku comes up to me.

"How'd you do that?! What's it called?!"

"It's something I made up" I say. "You like it?"

"Uh, yeah! You whooped our ass! What'd you call it?!"

"Lover's Fling"

"Why?" he asks, laughing at it.

"Cause it sounded good" I defend.

He rolls his eyes. "Man you've gotten sappy"

"Shut up. Just because I found someone I really care about—!"

"And I never have?!"

"Like you really know what's even going on with us!"

The coach runs over to us. "That's enough. Sora, change out your shirt. You're blue. Riku, take the bench."

"Yes, sir" I turn around and walk off, changing out my shirt at the bench. We have 15 minutes to rest up and get something to eat before we start the final game. Kairi runs over to me and gives me a big hug that almost knocks me over.

"You were great!" Osamu and Chloe are with her. I still feel stupid about kissing her. But Selphie and Yura are there too, routing on. My older sister is too good to show up to support me. That's okay, because at least Kairi made it.

"Thanks" she backs up.

"What was that last shot again?"

"Lover's Fling" I say with a smile.

"So what was your fight with Riku about?"

"Oh, nothing. He's just stupid."

"Sora…" she says skeptically.

"Okay, he's calling me a wuss, because I guess I've been hanging out with you a lot, and not the guys, and I named a shot for us. Big deal. He's just jealous."

"Why? He has plenty of girls"

"Yeah, but he doesn't really like any of them"

"Oh" she turns back to Selphie. "Selphie likes him" she smiles.

"I'm not gonna tell him. He already has a big enough head." The coach blows his whistle again to single that we need to get out there in five minutes. "I gotta go." I give her a quick kiss. "Love you. Route for me!"

She giggles. "No, I'll route for Seifer" she teases.

"Don't let _him _hear you say that!" I run off and get in position. This is gonna be a tough game. Seifer actually looks kind of worried, though. I have to smile at that. Coach blows his whistle to start the game and I grab the ball. I toss it to Riku and he completes it. I head toward the goal to get in position as he passes it to someone and the dribble it a ways and tosses it to someone else, who passes it to Riku, who passes it to someone else in a zigzag motion. It gets to me and I perform Fischer's Throw. We get the first point. I think our strategy confused Seifer and his team a little, because they didn't know what to do. It was a simple strat, but they're just stupid. We get the next point and then, Seifer's team finally gets a point. It's one of two points they get in the game. 5-2. We win. _"Okay, wasn't expecting that"_I think happily, and thus, Kairi was right. I get captain. Woo…

**Riku's POV: **Confronting Sora

"_Pussy"_I think about Sora. I watch him and Kairi together. _"She has him so whipped. It's disgusting"_She has her arms wrapped around him, bouncing with excitement for him. And I can see the hickey clearly. _"No wonder he's so whipped. He pisses me off."_They start to walk off together.

Coach yells to everyone leaving now. "Don't forget, practice on Friday!"

I call after Sora. "Hey!" He stops and turns around. "I need to talk to you!" I know that betrays me I said it the way I feel right now. He turns around and tells them to go on and jogs up to me.

"What?"

"You don't think I can figure out what you did to Kairi?" I'm taking Kairi's side on this. No matter what.

"Huh?"

"You slept with her! I thought you wanted to _'prove everyone wrong_" I mock. He started that after I lost my virginity. Like it was _my _fault people think guys can't make it to marriage a virgin. That's always rubbed me the wrong way.

"What?" he's getting upset. Now I know it's true!

I shove him. "I can't believe you! She was the most innocent person I know, and now _you _took it away!"

"Wait! _I _didn't do anything!"

"You slept with her!"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie! But you don't know anything about _why _I did it! It wasn't some hormonal, _fuck _for me!" He's never said that before. That's scary. But I'm not gonna show my surprise now! "I did it because…! Because… Agh! You don't get it and you never will!"

"Why?! Because I'm not afraid to sleep with my girlfriends?! I seriously _doubt_ you love her!"

He grabs the front of my shirt and jerks me into his face. "Don't you _ever_ say that!" His grip is weakens, I jerk outta it.

"You're weak. You can't even hold a fight!"

"You don't know anything"

I'm tired of him always saying that now! "Oh, and I was born yesterday?!"

"You're not in this relationship! You don't know what it takes! This isn't some 'normal' relationship like you've had with any of those sluts!"

"Bastard!" I deck him. He goes down, and comes back up. He never was one to give up in a fight. _That_ I can say for him. I wait for him, then go again, but he gets me in the gut first. I double over in pain and groan. He stops.

"You have no idea what it was like for me to _lie_ to myself that long and then _after_ making that decision, realize what I really _wanted_. Maybe someday you _will_, but until then, get lost." He walks away. He didn't win and he didn't lose. He left before we could finish our fight. That's the Sora I know. In a way, he did win, though. He got the last hit and the last say. He's a coward, though, in the way that he didn't let me say anything back. Not that I could figure out _what _to say back. Whatever it was, I _do _have more respect for him now in fights. Even if he _is_ a little wuss. _"What did he mean 'lie to himself' anyway?"_

**Kairi's POV: **Telling Selphie

I get to the house with Selphie and pull out my dress. It's so pretty. It's black with lots of glitter all over it, with a slit like a mermaid (but not quite) that doesn't go to the ground, but still past my knees, even with the slit. It has a spaghetti-strap top with a sequenced ribbon just under the bust. It's perfect for our homecoming. It's not completely formal, more cocktail, really. Like a banquet. So, Sora's gonna a tux, still. He hasn't seen my dress yet. He's supposed to come over. My cell phone rings. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Kairi"_ it's him.

"Hey. Where are you?"

"_I'm not coming over today. Sorry"_

"What happened?" It's not like him to flake.

"_Riku and I kinda got in a fight. Mom wants me to stay home"_

"Why'd you go home?"

"_I had to get some ice"_

"For what?"

"_My eye"_ I didn't think they got into it _that _bad. This worries me!

"He punched you?"

"_Yeah. It's a shiner"_

"Sora…"

"_It's okay, Kairi. My mom knows how to get it to go away by Friday. Remember, she's a—"_

"Yeah, I know. But are you okay? What was it about? What you were fighting about before?" I need to stop drilling him.

He laughs. _"Yeah, it was. And I'm okay."_ I hear a door shut on the other end and he gets a little more quiet. I have to really pay attention to hear him. _"But he figured out what we did. Thought you might want to know that."_

"What?" I sit on the bed, hand to my mouth. _"__No! That's not supposed to happen!"_

"_Yeah. He wasn't too happy, either."_

"I'm so sorry!"

"_Hey, it's not your fault. But he did accuse me of doing it outta lust."_ I hear him laugh. _"If only he knew"_

"Knew what?"

"_Your story. Kazuo, Radiant Garden, and how we feel about each other. He'd be ashamed of himself. I know Riku."_

"Why did he even care?"

"_Because he said that I took away your innocence. He wants to kill me for it now apparently."_

"What? What's that got to do with anything?"

"_I dunno. I guess he wants to know someone can do it. A safety net, really."_

I can't believe this. "_I _was his safety net?"

"_I guess"_

"I feel like a slut"

He laughs again. _"__What?"_

"I feel like a slut"

"_Don't. He's just stupid"_

I got Selphie's attention with that. I'm so stupid… "What, Kairi? You think you're a slut?"

"Never mind, Selphie. I'll tell you later." I get back to Sora. "I wish I could've kept it."

"_Me too"_ There's a pause _"__You gonna tell Selphie?"_

"I don't see why not. She knows everything else. If she can keep _that _a secret, she can definitely keep this a secret. The only ones we want to know we did that is Kazuo and mom and dad."

"_I'm not telling anyone. I just told Riku, and that's enough for me. Although… I'd like to see Seifer's reaction."_

"Don't"

"_I'm not going to"_ he sighs. _"But anyway, I gotta go. My mom's gonna wanna know why I've suddenly started talking in my room instead of in front of the family like usual. Love you."_

"You too" I say, to cover up because Selphie's here.

"_Bye"_

"See ya" and we hang up.

"What's going on?" Selphie asks.

"Nothing" I switch my position on the bed to laying on my stomach, feet in the air and grab a magazine. "Hey, Selphie?"

"Yeah?"

"I told you about Radiant Garden and my dad and Kazuo, right?"

"Yeah"

"Well… You know how my mom dragged me there and Sora and Kaiyo came get me?

"Uh-huh"

"And how Kaiyo stayed behind…?"

"Yeah…" I can tell she's getting impatient.

"Well… I guess you're gonna find out anyway. But you have to promise you won't think any less of me, or you won't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay…?"

"You have to promise"

"Okay. I promise"

"After we got on the ship thing to come home, we got started thinking… and after we got back, he and I went to my house"

"So?" she laughs.

"So… we stayed there the whole night. By ourselves. Asleep."

"And?" She still doesn't get it… I roll my eyes.

"Well, lets just say, _a stop by the convenient store _was necessary"

"Why?"

"_I'm gonna have to spell it out. She's so stupid. _We slept together. You know. S.E.X."

She gasps. "What?!"

I hold down her arms. "Sshh!"

She whispers now. "What?!"

"Yeah. Because it gets me outta the trap of Radiant Garden. But we agreed not to do it again unless, we somehow get married. I'm not going to _again _until I get married, and I don't think Sora is either"

"Wow…"

"But you know… I think it's too late"

"How?"

"While I was in Radiant Garden, I got married"

"To who?!"

"Kazuo" I state sadly.

"No!" she gasps again.

"I didn't say 'I do,' but the Patron still pronounced us. In front of the whole world. And I know you didn't believe us at first, and that's okay… but I really need a friend who knows what's going on right now"

"What made you tell me?"

"Riku and Sora just got in a fight. Riku figured it out, and he blames Sora. I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow."

"Okay. Good luck"

"_See? Even SHE knows how stubborn Riku can be."_

**Author's Note: Alright, guys! Here's the next chapter coming up! Remember, I need reviews to put up more chapters! I've a few chapters written up, not done yet, but I've completely STOPPED continuing on all of these until I run out. I think I have up to 20 done, but **_**YOU **_**have to make me work! I do not like murdering my own work. No matter how bad it is…**


	17. Talking is hard, Yelling is easier!

**CHAPTER XVII: TALKING IS HARD... YELLING, IS A LOT EASIER!**

**Author's Note: Okay, chapter two of the ones you get. Sorry guys, but I'm serious. And Sarah, the only reason you don't COUNT toward chapter updates, is because you can read them any time. I tell you all I'm going to do! lol… But readers, I appreciate your support in the review you **_**do **_**give me! **

**Kairi's POV: **Confronting Riku

Next day. It's gonna be a long one. Osamu and Chloe are together now. It's so cute! But even still, there are a few awkward moments between us whenever Sora or Chloe isn't around. Only sometimes when that happens, though. And it's not just him. I can feel it too. But Sora… I wouldn't hurt him for the world. I love him so much. I won't throw it away for a guy who's just a friend. Even if we _do _have a little chemistry. He's… well, he actually reminds me a lot of Sora. And that's okay. Because we wouldn't work out anyway. I have the _real _thing. Why would I go for an imitation? It's like buying a shirt for the same price. Brand or generic? For the same price? Brand. Not saying Osamu's fake or anything. He's just a different person at heart. He's not as impulsive or cautious. He's more cocky and… pushy, I guess. Like at the party that night. Pretty much demanding my number. It was cute, but it didn't leave much room for a negative answer. Like he was pushing me to say 'yes.' But he's really sweet still. He and Sora would really get along if they talked more. But today is not about Osamu and Chloe or any of that. Today I have to talk to Riku. I'm gonna look for him once the bell rings. It's only first period. But I need to talk to him ASAP. I moved back to where Sora sits. It's not all that fun because the Athletic guys tease us a whole lot, namely me. And call Sora a pussy for standing up for me. Why are they calling him that now? It's stupid.

DING DING DING DING!

"Ready for PFD?" he asks, starting to take my books.

"Sora…" I say, stopping his hand. "I _can _carry them myself."

"Okay…?" he smiles. Everyone's left by now and I stand up and grab my books and purse as we walk out.

"I'm just tired of hearing everyone call you a wuss"

"So? I know I'm not"

"Sora… you're captain of Blitzball and your whole team thinks you're a wimp"

"So I'll prove them wrong. I mean, having this black eye helps" he smiles again.

I shake my head. "Let's go, you dork" I grab his arm and we go to second period. After we get there, I drop off my stuff. "I'll be right back"

"Where you going?"

"Nowhere" I lean down into his face "And don't follow me" I kiss the tip of his nose.

He wipes his nose on his arm. "C'mon"

"I just gotta go talk to someone. Why? Do I have to check in with you?"

He looks ashamed of himself, even though I was just teasing. "No"

"Hey, I was playing around"

"I know"

"But you feel like a controlling boyfriend?"

"Yeah" Hey, at least he's honest.

"Well, I love you anyway" I say as I hug him. I want to comfort him in so many ways. I breathe in to smell the familiar ocean, remembering the night he and Kaiyo came to get me from Radiant Garden. Memories flood me, making it harder for me to let him go. I could get so caught up…

"It's okay, I guess" he says as he pulls away.

"_No. Don't… let me go… _G..good. I'll just b..be right back. _I wonder if… he was thinking the same thing…"_

I get to Riku's Geometry class and try to get his attention outside the room. After I calm my nerves, that is. Not because I have to face Riku, but because if I'm going to face Riku, I can't let him think anything else. If I acted fidgety, he'd think something is up. I wave at him, but he doesn't notice me, until his friend, Hayner, grabs his attention. He comes up to the door. "Hey"

"_What does he think I'm stupid and Sora didn't tell me? _Hey. We need to talk"

"Okay…?"

I grab his wrist and drag him to a more remote area. My thoughts quickly turn to his stupidity. _"How dare he think that Sora's did all this on his own! Like, I don't have a say, or he doesn't care what I have to say! He's been Sora's friend forever! He should know better! He shouldn't even CARE what Sora and I do because HE does worse stuff on a regular basis! He's a little _Bastard…" I mumble under my breath, finishing my thoughts outloud.

"What?" his defense is immediately brought up now. I shouldn't have said that.

"You heard me! Why did you do that?! Why did you hurt Sora?!"

"Oh, you mean he didn't tell you?" he asks with a mock surprise.

"He said it was because he 'took away my innocence'! You're so stupid! He didn't do anything _I _didn't agree to! And that includes EVERYTHING!"

He sneers at me. "Yeah, I seriously doubt that!"

"Why? Because I'm a girl?!"

"Girls aren't supposed to want that!"

"Oh! So all guys are?!"

"What?!"

"Not all guys want to get laid! Just you!"

He grabs my shoulders and slams me into the nearest wall. "Don't put everything on me, dammit! There are millions of guys who do that! I don't! Yeah, I have sex! Doesn't mean I'll go do it with the nearest girl! You better appreciate that!"

"Why?!"

"Because you and I would've been in yours and Sora's situation already." He lets me go, but keeps his hands lightly on me, looking down.

I push him away defensively. "There's no way you could've _been _in Sora's and my situation, because there's no way I'd trust you with the truth, and no way I would've _agreed _to sleep with you! And for your information the 'millions of guys who do that' does NOT include ALL guys!"

"Then why'd he do it?!"

"Because it was a way out!"

"Way outta what?!"

"None of your business!"

"So, you come to yell at me, and then don't even bother explaining?!"

"Fine, I'll tell you something!" I get in his face. "You better _thank _Sora for doing that, because it went against what he really wanted to do, and because, _if he hadn't _I'd be gone! When my mom dragged me off, that would've been the last time you ever saw me!"

"How's that?!"

"That I won't tell you!"

He scoffs this time. "Yeah. Right."

"Fine, here's another thing!" I invade on his personal space even more, containing my language to the best of my ability, "Screw off! _That sounds so stupid!_"

He scoffs again. "'Screw off?'" he mocks at me.

"_Ohh! He pisses me off! _Whatever! You know what I mean!"

"Why don't you just say it?! Fuck off! See?! I can!"

"Well, I'm not _you _and neither is Sora. Thank God!" I turn on my heel, making my exit and Riku grabs me and throws me into the wall _again_.

"Yeah, well…! I may not be the _best _person in the world, but at least _I _know how to stop!"

"Yeah, well I asked him to keep going!"

"Then how 'bout this?!" He forces himself on me, holding me against the wall, testing my limits. I know that. I can tell that by seeing how much he has to work to _keep_ kissing me. He doesn't _want _to, but he's now accusing me of being a slut. There's definitely one way to prove him wrong and to get him off me. My knee comes up straight into his _precious delicates_, or manhood, or more plainly put, his balls. He gasps in pain and goes down. I wipe my mouth, trying to get his taste off of them.

"_Scum! _Don't ever try that again"

"You think I _want _to?!" he asks still writhing on the ground. I just shake my head, disgusted, and once again, turn heel and leave.

**Riku's POV: **sulking

I stay crouched on the ground in pain and watch her walk away. _"Fuck! Owwwwwww! Where did she learn how to do that LIKE THAT?! This fucking hurts! Damn!"_The pain persists, but eventually subsides to a more manageable degree to allow me back to Geometry. Immediately, I grab Hayner's attention. "Hey, man, you got a piece of gum?" I don't want her taste in my mouth _either_. I hated that! Not that she was bad, but that was horrible! "_Ugh! I don't EVER kiss anyone like that! I only go that far, when the girl wants it too! I don't know how guys do it! I only do that with girlfriends, not just any GIRL. They have to have SOME license. I'm not as bad as what Sora and Kairi make me out to be."_Hayner gets me a piece and I sit more humbly in my chair, still pissed at Sora, but now Kairi's on my list too. _"I hate it when someone puts me in my place…!"_

**Author's Note: The End for now, or maybe forever. It's up to you guys! And even if you don't have an account, you can still leave a review! And if I get more reviews, I'll definitely give you guys credit! These two chapters go to:**

**kagomesgirl2007**

**Shawn16**

**Only one review per person, unless you review too much for me to refuse! Even you, Sarah! So get as many people you know to review, and we'll see what happens! And a special appreciation to those mentioned above and also to KHFanFicObsessed. She's been my friend for 3 years now! WOOT! And she's my #1 supporter! THANKS SARAH! Much love to you readers and supporters of my fanfics, too! YOU'RE AWESOME! **


	18. Tryouts for Kairi!

**CHAPTER XVIII: TRYOUTS FOR KAIRI!**

**Author's Note: Okay, guys, these chapter goes to TheAngelOfHope and DyneUzuki! Thanks for reviewing guys! These are for you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own hardly anything in here. Only Osamu, Kaiyo, Arixia, Rex, Chloe and Yura.**

**Kairi's POV: ****My time to shine**

I switch to my left foot and stretch it out. _"I can't believe he's making me do this!" _I smile. As soon as I got to tryouts, I changed out into a pair of black short-shorts and a pink spaghetti-strap tank. Sora's already here, too. I told him about Riku as soon as I could, and he got upset. But I talked him out of hunting him down. He's coming over to see my dress instead, and then he and his mom are going to get a tux. He doesn't say much about his dad still, except that he walked out on them when he was five. It was just before that when I met him and Riku.

"Kairi!" I hear my coach call to me. "You're up next!" I take a deep breath and stand up, getting a drink of water and head to the middle of the gym by myself. My gaze turns to Sora up in the stands; I shake my head.

"_Relax…Ignore him. It's just me and the coach!"_

"Whenever you're ready."

"Okay," I take a deep breath and few steps back, starting out simple, a round-off, cartwheel, double-back handspring, single back handspring, and some other combinations of jumps that lead up to an end in the splits. My breath comes out short, as I finally breathe. 

"Now cheer" she prompts, surprised. 

I give my best cheer as loud and clear as I can, remembering to smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sora smile. _"I'm doing okay!" _ I concentrate on my movements being sharp and deliberate. 

The coach reaches over and turns on a stereo. Music seeps through it, "Dance," she tells me.

"What? _That's weird…_"

"Dance."

"Freestyle?"

"You got it."

I just start dancing, trying to remember a routine I made up in the seventh grade. _"Uh! I can't remember! Uh…!" _My mind spins; I try to figure what to do next. Coach turns off the music without a word.

"Arixia!"

"_Guess I'm done…" _I droop and walk over to Sora for some comfort. I know I failed completely. My routine was off, my jumps not the best, and I couldn't even think of what to cheer. But still… _dance_? "That was weird" I tell him. 

"What? You did great!"

"Yeah, but _dance_?" he laughs.

"It was cute!"

"I made it up in the seventh grade. And I couldn't even remember it."

"Well… I guess we'll have to see what the coach has to say." He's too hopeful…

I sit down in front of him and lean back into his lap. He leans down and kisses the top of my head. Half an hour later, she calls us down into the middle of the floor to stand in a horizontal line, moving us around until there's only one person to my right. My heart rises to my chest until a wink from Sora calms me some. _"I hate this! Why are you making me do this!" _

"Well…" the coach starts off with, "to go against all tradition of picking a _blonde _for captain, I'm going to give the spot to our only red-head. Miss Hannon, congratulations."

"What!" Arixia yells from my left somewhere. "I've been it _my _whole high school career! This is my _senior _year! I deserve it!"

"I've made my decision. Your splits were too forced and your backhand was sloppy. You could take notes" she tells the queen bee blatantly. 

"Ugh!" she exclaims and stomps off, pushing past me.

"Great job, Kairi!" Chloe congratulates me.

"Where's Osamu? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He's over there" she point over to where Sora's sitting and I find them talking to each other. "He came in while we were in line."

"You two are so cute!" I compliment. "I'm so glad he found someone. He's really a great guy."

She teases me, "Sure you aren't jealous?"

"Oh, come on!"

Yura pats me on the back on her way out. "Good job! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!" I yell back to her.

Chloe picks up our conversation. "At least not while your with the _captain _of the Blitzball team now, right?" She looks over at Sora, and I join her in watching him.

A proud smile crosses my lips. "_He's mine. That smile, those looks he gives… they're mine and no one else's. _Yeah, I guess."

Shelinda comes up behind me happily. "See you tomorrow, Kairi. Chloe. Congratulations!"

"See ya!" we yell back in unison. 

I turn my attention back to Sora as he laughs and Osamu playfully pushes him toward us. He jogs over to me and stops in front of me, like a boy just about to ask a girl out for the first time. It's kinda funny… But cute. "Ready to go?" he asks me.

"Sure. Selphie and I are going to the mall while you and your mom get your tux." 

"Okay" he responds, but there's a sudden change in his eyes, despite his slight smirk. He's covering something all of a sudden, for whatever reason it may be. I want to know now.

**Sora's POV: ****Nothing's Wrong…**

I take her hand in mine and hope she didn't notice my reaction. It's stupid anyway, thinking that the last time I saw her dressed up, she was… trapped… to say the least. _"It's stupid! Why do I still think about it! Is it because she IS married? Wrong or not, I'm not letting go of her!"_ I focus on the sidewalk in front of us.

"What's wrong?" she asks me softly, as we head to her house.

I shake my head, knowing that now's not the time to bring it up. "Don't worry about it," I tell her, hoping it would suffice, until I decide to change the subject. "Osamu's gonna come with me too, to get a tux. He needs one, too."

Her voice get quieter, almost hurt, "Okay…" Her voice lightens, as I can tell she's trying to really trust me on this. I appreciate it _so _much! "When did you two become such good friends?"

I shrug, "We're not, really… But he's pretty cool. And I have a friend opening."

"Why? Because of Riku? What are you going to do about _him_?"

"He gets in a fight with me, punches me, and turns around and kisses you the next day. I don't think so! Does he expect me to be _happy _about it? I'm not putting up with that crap!"

**Author's Note: Okay, guys, this chapter wasn't that great… Kairi got Captain, YAY! Alright… Now the next chapter gets INTRESTING! Trust me! And man… I **_**still **_**gotta get Kaiyo outta jail… Don't worry, all in time! Hope you enjoy! And PLEASE review. I need them to keep continuing. I am no longer a hamster on a wheel, making the wheel turn. I am now the wheel. You readers are the hamster. Keep me going! At least until I throw you off, or finish the story. Lol. **


	19. Homecoming

**CHAPTER XIX: HOMECOMING**

**Author's Note: Alright, well, this chapter holds a lot of… well… SURPRISES… I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Sorry… I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Square. But I own Chloe, Osamu, Kaiyo and Rex… I may own a few more too… hmm…**

**Sora's POV: ****Homecoming Difficulties**

"Bye, mom" I yell, leaving the house to go pick up Kairi. I stop as soon as I get to the dock and stare at my boat, groaning. "_No way I can do this in a tux! _I'll have to sooner or later…" I groan again. "Don't wanna be late…" I untuck my shirt and take off my jacket, tossing it safely into the seat where I'm about to be. Holding the boat close with one hand, I try to unfasten the rope holding my boat to the dock with the other. I carefully try to step in the boat as it tips. "Whoa!" I panic, "No! No! No! No!" It keeps tipping, and I eventually get it back steady. It hits the water again, splashing into the boat, getting my shirt and soaking my jacket. I groan again. "Man… that better dry fast…" I relax and row to the main island, running to Selphie's house as fast as I can. I stop abruptly coming up to the house, seeing _Riku _there, knocking on the front door. _"What the heck?" _Selphie answers it and steps out. _"Since when? What the heck!" _I wait for them to leave in Riku's car and then run up to the house, forgetting to tuck my shirt back in. I'll do it when we get to the dance. I knock on the door, feeling my now dry and wrinkled shirt. The face that greets me at the door is Kairi's. 

"Wow" she giggles. "You're really on time…"

"You think I'd be late?" I smile back at her. Her dress is black and sparkling in the dimming light. Her scarlet locks becoming darker and more intense, giving her whole appearance a soft glow.

I feel her eyes drift and rest on my dark gray shirt, "And… what happened there?" she asks with another giggle.

"Boat accident," I announce, smiling embarrassedly. I don't know why I was worried about her being dressed up. "Do you want me to tuck it in now?" I ask.

"No, it's cute that way," she smiles and blushes, looking down trying to cover it. I lift up her chin and smile at her. Her eyes meet mine and the moment snags. I haven't really kissed her seriously since our agreement. Momentarily, reality breaks in, leaving me shaken.

"_I am NOT going there! _Let's get outta here," I drop my hand in hers, letting it rest comfortably. "So… why is Selphie going with _Riku_?" I ask as we walk in the direction of the school. I take note of her sigh and the drooping of her shoulders.

"I don't know… I've told her everything. She just… doesn't want to hear it, I guess…"

"She sounds just as stubborn as he is."

"Oh, she is! But… she supports us, you know?"

My gaze drops to the concrete in front of me as disgust for myself sets in, "Yeah, I know." Silence falls between us and we continue on like that until I feel a shiver in my hand. I look up to see that she has goose bumps on her arms. A small chuckle escapes my lips. "Cold?" I ask, taking off my jacket and draping it over her shoulders.

A guilty smiles spreads across her face, "Thanks… I guess I didn't think about a jacket…"

"I was getting warm anyway," I shake my head. We finally arrive at the school, where we're already late for the dance. _"Why do I have to live so far away from the school and WALK everywhere?" _I open the door for Kairi and follow her in to the gym.

**Riku's POV: ****When WillI Learn?**

"Yeah, I was gonna ask Red, but Fischer stole her," Seifer concludes, glaring over at the couple that just walked in the door. Selphie's mingling with some friends, so the guys and I are just kinda hanging out. Seifer doesn't sound happy, though, "That guy better watch it…"

"I know what you mean," I reply. "You're talking about Kairi, right? _Who else would he be glaring at like that when talking about Kairi and Sora?_"

"Uh… YEAH," his voice holds a sarcastic tone right before he takes a drink of punch. 

I scowl as I give everything away, "You know they had sex, right? _Uh… Maybe that wasn't the best idea… Oh crap…_"

The drink Seifer just took, now hits the floor as he emits it back out, "They _what_!"

Rex laughs, "No way! _Fischer_!"

I smirk, "_Okay, maybe I was wrong. It's okay. So what if everyone knows? Why should I care? _Yeah." Seifer's attention pulls to the front of the gym; I turn to look. The death glares beaming from his eyes are on the subject of the same person mine have been on. His shirt is all wrinkled, and he's not even wearing his jacket. Kairi is. He departs from his _date _and heads to the punch bowl as I scowl again toward him. _"What took them so long? Did Sora have to get laid again before coming to the dance or something?"_

**Sora's POV: ****Surprise Attack**

"Whoa!" I exclaim as I feel a pull on my back and suddenly a heavy weight as someone grabs my shoulders and helps themselves to a piggy-back ride. WAY too heavy to be Kairi! _Has _to be OSAMU! I feel legs wrap around my waste as I fight for balance. "Get off!" I yell to him, regaining myself. He gets down, laughing. "Dude! What's wrong with you!" I tease. Kairi and Chloe giggle at us from the distance. 

"Where've you been?" he complains.

I laugh at him again, "I don't drive! I have to walk! I live on the ISLAND. C'mon!"

"No limo?" he asks, a bit surprised.

"No job. My mom can't afford _that_. She struggling as it is and I have two sisters. I mean, I guess I could've carpooled with my sister and _her _date, but gross…"

"Yeah. I gotcha. But what happened to your dad?"

"He was some stupid alcoholic. Walked out on us after Aerith was born."

"That sucks. I'm sorry, man… My parents just didn't work out. Now I have _two _dads… You can have my step dad if you want."

I smirk. That's funny! "No, thanks. I don't even _want _one."

Surprise covers his face, "Really?"

"Yeah" I shrug, "My dad just kinda ruined it for me, I guess."

He stammers, apparently fighting for words, "Oh, well… That sucks… I'm sorry."

I laugh, "It's okay, man, so don't worry about it." I pat him on the back as reassurance and start surveying the room for the new Cheerleading captain. _"I don't see her…"_

"Looking for those two?" he asks, changing the subject to what my mind has now switched to. "I think she and Chloe went to the bathroom. Why do they always travel together in pairs anyway?" he laughs.

I laugh. It's true… "I dunno… But I'm gonna go wait then."

"Alright" he says as I leave him to go by the doors and wait by the bleachers. 

**Seifer's POV: ****HAHA**

Fischer crosses the gym and loiters around the back of the bleachers by the girl's bathroom. I smirk. Fischer's really been pissing me off lately, and now I know exactly what to do to stop it. I turn to Rex, since Riku left to be with his date. "Do you have it?"

"Have what?"

"You know, _it_." I hint, pointing to his pocket. His face lights up as his hand digs into his pants and hands over what it is. "I'll be right back" I tell him, heading over to Sora. A minute later I'm standing in front of him, not even trying to keep my cool anymore. "You think you're _so _good, don't you?"

"Huh?" he turns to me just in time for me to invade on his personal space. I grit my teeth at him. 

"You stole my spot on the team," I grumble as I speak, "and you _knew _Red was _mine_. So tell me…" I pull out the utensil Rex handed to me and flip open the sharp piece of steel, "Fucker", I jam the knife into his stomach, watching happily as he doubles over, "why did you fuck with her!" I demand for the whole world to hear. I _want _them to know what kind of person he is. The gym becomes quiet except for his weak attempts at breath. Red and her little friend walk back in. It'd be pointless to try to run or hide what I did now. Not that I wanted to in the first place.

**Kairi's POV: ****How can this Happen to Me?**

I stop at the sight of Seifer and glare. _"What do YOU want?" _I ask myself in thought before hearing a gasping response from an unexpected direction. I look down, finding myself speechless from the blood that belongs to my boyfriend. 

His voice muffles as he attempts to speak to Seifer, "I'll tell you…" he rolls over in order to get a good look at his attacker, "like I told Riku… It wasn't a fuck for me…!" he exclaims it as much as possible, sounding really mad. Angrier than I've ever seen him. My eyes wander to the object gouged in his torso, and I have to fight for control over my insides, as not to let them escape my body. Osamu's hands grip my shoulders momentarily before rushing passed me to Sora. My brain realizes that upon seeing Sora first, Chloe must've run to get him. I turn, glossy-eyed, to see Riku come up behind Seifer with a horrified look on his face. Flinching, I kneel down to Sora, turning my attention back to him. His name escapes my lips as the moisture collecting in my eyes refuses to accept what's going on.

"Kairi, go!" Osamu demands me; I ignore him. "Chloe! Get her outta here, and call my dad" he then demands Chloe, who nods and tugs me away from Sora, dragging me outside where she immediately pulls out her cell phone.

Minutes later, police are running around, making it even harder for my brain to process what's going on. The only think I can think to do right now is just to be with him. A bunch of paramedics and officers are running around, trying to push me back inside. 

"She's his girlfriend!" Chloe refuses as a stretcher rushes from the building and is quickly loaded onto the big white vehicle. 

"He's lost a lot of blood…" one paramedic announces to another. "It may have hit a number of vital organs… I don't think he's going to make it."

**Author's Note: Oh SNAP! Did I just do that to my baby! SORA! whimper My baby… Oh, well… I guess if you want to find out what happens, you'll just have to keep reviewing! Or else it won't matter if I put up any more chapters… So, if you want to find out what happens next, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	20. Results

CHAPTER XX: RESULTS

**CHAPTER XX: RESULTS**

**Author's Note: Okay, guys, these next three chapters go to DyneUzuki, KHFanFicObsessed, and TheAngelOfHope. Thank you guys so much for reviewing! Now let's see what happened to Sora…**

**Riku's POV: ****MAKING THE DIFFERENCE**

Heart in my throat, I jog outside, trying to think of what to do. _"This is all my fault…!"_I notice Kairi in the midst of the rushing paramedics. She… doesn't look like she knows what's really going on, so… I head over to see what her deal is. "Are you okay?" I ask, shaking her shoulders, trying to jolt her to reality. This isn't some TV show she's probably used to watching. I shake her again, yelling her name in her face. This brings her to our location now. Her eyes flash and suddenly looks like she recognizes me. _"What the hell?"_

"Riku! Sora—!" she tries to explain as she heads over to the ambulance. I pull her back. 

"No, Kairi! Get Selphie and go home! I'm not gonna let you see this! _I can't. This is SORA. My best friend, her boyfriend. Fuck what they did! I was just mad! I can't lose my best friend!" _

The fabric of Sora's jacket tightens as she backs up, fear in her eyes as she shakes her head, "No…"

I take a deep breath. _"How can I get her to leave? _Listen to me. PLEASE do this, okay? I'll take care of him. He'll be okay. I promise. I'll go to the hospital with them, and bring you up as soon as I can, okay?" She nods at this and moves past me to go into the building. Osamu and the Captain of the policemen come out to see me.

"I'm Captain Danson, Riku. I'll tell you what you need to do."

Fear shoots through every ounce of my body, "Am I in trouble? I didn't think he'd do anything like that! He's my friend!"

Captain Danson tries his best to cool me down, "You're okay. Just turn it down some. We got him okay, but he's losing a lot of blood."

I follow the ambulance to the hospital in my car, and once we arrive, I rush in unannounced. Well, as far as the secretary was aware, but that doesn't matter right now! I ask her where to go and she points, "Blood donation's in room 137."

I follow her direction and yell a "Thanks" behind me. I remember, as I run to the room, having my blood taken. My type is rare and can go to anyone. Sora needs blood. Fast. I turn the corner and almost tackle a man in a white long-jacket looking thing, or smock or whatever. Anxiety runs it's course through my veins, "Sir, please, you have to help me! My friend was just stabbed!"

"Why are you back here?" he asks, calmly, driving my nerves all the more wild.

"They want me to give him some blood!" I announce, unaware of any patients that may, and probably are behind the closed doors.

"What's your type?"

"I don't know what it's called! It's the rare one!" I never paid THAT close attention. Just get me to Sora! "Please!" 

A low breath of air releases from the doctor in a sigh as he nudges my arm in the direction of room 137. "We have to do this real fast. I have a patent in labor on the third floor."

I follow him back into the room, where he asks me if I'm squeamish as he prepares the large needle. I take of my jacket and roll up my sleeve arm, "No, or else I wouldn't be here."

"What's the occasion?" he asks me, nodding to my attire. 

"Huh?" I look down at my shirt and vest, "Oh, it's our Homecoming…"

"You said your friend was stabbed?" he chuckles, "That's a great Homecoming." His face grows more serious. "Do you know why?"

My mouth suddenly refuses to open again. I can't tell him it was my fault… "He… Made some enemies…" I'm at least able to conjure up. 

He nods, understanding. "A girl?" 

A short burst of laughter eludes me, "Hell yeah!" 

He chuckles again and pulls out the needle, "Done."

"Done?" I ask, inspecting my arm. He wraps some gauze around it, making sure it's tight, but not to where it cuts off any circulation. He takes the bag of blood, and my stomach does a flip-flop. 

"You're a little pale" the doctor observes when he glances over at me. "Why don't you ask a nurse for some juice and crackers? It'll help with the queasiness."

I nod and leave the room, ready to get away from the bag of blood. "_WAY too much blood for one day! Sora's blood, my blood… Ugh… My stomach…_" I find a nurse who then fulfills my request. From here, I journey my way to Sora's room. Upon reaching the door, a loud and steady beep reaches my ear. Flatline. My heart drops. Doctors rush in immediately with the blood I just gave and start with CPR and prayers. I watch from outside the door. _"Please… PLEASE…! I really don't know what's going on anymore… But I promised her… You can't die! I'm sorry!"_I close my eyes until time awakens at the first absence of a tone, followed by another low beep, shorter, but repeats just as steady as before. Several doctors leave the room and I can tell that they're sweating. Tears sting the back of my eyes as I wait for the word. _"This is all my fault…"_

"You can go in now" I'm told; I rush in, followed by the same doctor who just spoke to me. "This one was lucky" he informs me, "It's all about the blood types. If this hadn't come in when it did, we would've lost him."

A proud and thankful smile spreads across my face. I walk over to confirm my duty by checking the bag hooked up to him. I quivery breath leaves my chest. "It's mine…!" 

I turn to the doctor who hasn't moved. "He's lucky to have you as a friend, then. It saved his life" he smiles and then leaves with that been said. 

I jog out to catch him, once again remembering my promise. "Is he allowed to have any visitors now? Is he stable?!" Hope rises in me. I can make it all better!

"His mother and sisters are on their way now" he informs me.

"I promised his girlfriend AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Please? Is it okay?"

He nods, "Go ahead."

Half and hour later, Kairi and I are standing in Sora's unconscious presence. I told her everything I could. How this is my fault, how I tried to make up for it, and how sorry I am. And to my surprise, she forgave me! She sits in the chair beside him, not letting go of his hand, and not crying. It's like she's already decided that he'll be okay. I turn out the door and leave, _"How can I be so stupid?"_His mother leaves to see him as soon as I come out, followed by his sisters a few minutes later when Kairi comes out, too. Her arms slips around my body solemnly. 

"Thank you" she says softly and I wrap my arms around her tiny frame, deciding not to say anything else. I feel bad enough as it is… "I know you never… meant for anything to happen…" she says, lifting her eyes up to me. 

I force a smile, no matter how sad it is, "I'm sorry… Is he awake yet?" I ask, trying to pull myself out of this slump.

She pulls away and sits down. "No, not yet, but they're expecting him to really soon."

I sit next to her, and let my head fall in my hands. _"There's so much I'm missing… _Kairi?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened? Why don't you live with your mom? Why did you and Sora decide to do that?" 

There's a beat; she sighs, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Try?"

**Kairi's POV: ****LONG STORY SHORT…**

So I tell him. I tell him about mom, Kitai, Kaiyo, dad, all the way up to and then passed the wedding. He sits in shock for a minute and I wait for his response. "You're not _really _married, are you?"

I look down. This is a hard one for me. "I don't know."

"There's no way you CAN be. You never agreed… You never said 'I do'."

I shake my head, "It's Radiant Garden. I don't know if it even matters."

"You can ask Osamu or his dad, uh… Captain Danson, I think."

I feel my spirit brighten, "I haven't thought of that. You think they'll know anything about Radiant Garden?"

He shrugs, "Beats me."

I look up to see Sora's mom and sisters come back into the room, tears in their eyes. I'm not sure, but I think they're new. His mom smiles, easing the rising fear in my chest. "He's awake." 

A heavy sigh eludes me and everyone else in here for Sora. _"We can breathe now… Wait! _When can he go home?"

"In a few days" she sighs. 

"It's pretty bad…" Riku agrees. 

Anxiety suddenly races through me in an attempt to grab Riku's arm. "Take me to Selphie's!"

"Why?" he asks, really confused. 

"Just do it, please!" I pull on him again. 

"Why?!" he demands, tired of my pulling.

I stop and look him square in the eye, "I have a potion!"

**Author's Note: So, there you have it! You know I wouldn't REALLY kill him! I love him too much! Lol. But, please don't forget to review! **


	21. Where's Kaiyo?

CHAPTER XXI: WHERE'S KAIYO

**CHAPTER XXI: WHERE'S KAIYO?**

**Author's NOTE: Okay, here's the second chapter! These get a little boring and drawn out, but you know what they say… It's necessary! **

**Kairi's POV: ****MAKING PLANS**

NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL:

I slump in my desk, head on the table, happy and worried. "I mean… I'm glad you're okay! But… I'm still worried about him… After all, he's the reason you're able to be here today…"

"I know," Sora replies. I look into his eyes for more of an answer; he shakes his head. "I don't know what to tell you, Kairi."

"Can't we go back?" I plead, "I want to see if I'm really married, anyway…"

"No" he says shortly, "I don't know what will happen."

"They never came after us…" I shrug. "C'mon, Sora… Nothing's gonna happen… It's my brother! I'm worried about him…"

He lowers to my height with a slight smile on his lips. "I'll tell you what. I'll go. I'll bring my cell phone and you can call me whenever you want."

"What if you don't pick up?"

"I will" he assures me. "If I don't then I'm in trouble and I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"I can't do that…"

"Within two hours" he bargains. "I'll go after school."

"You better call me back" I warn, now afraid for him _again_.

"I promise" he answers and I slump further into my desk, now worried and depressed. He folds his arms on the desk in front of me and watches me. I burrow into my own arms further, turning away from him to allow a few teardrops to hit my desk. Simultaneously my shoulders heave and I sniffle. 

"I wanna go with you" I plead. 

He grunts, "Kairi… No you don't. It's too…" he pauses, searching for the right word.

"Dangerous?" I ask.

"No… Kinda… I guess… But… It's more foreboding than dangerous."

"It's the same thing!"

"Not really… I mean, I guess you could say that, but…"

"Sora, just shut up and let me go with you" I plead again. 

He forces me to look at him, placing a hand on my neck, holding my face securely. I close my eyes. "I won't shut up" he tells me. "Because I don't ever want you to go back."

My eyes shoot open, "So you're just deciding that? It's my family!" I yell lowly at him. "How can you tell me, I can't go try and get my own brother?! It'd be like me telling you that Aerith was kidnapped and I'm gonna go find her, but you can't! Just because 'I don't want you to'." He sighs, his shoulders slumping and his eyes closed. 

"Kairi…"

"No. Don't 'Kairi' me." The tears in my eyes hold their position, blurring my vision. "Just let me go. I'm going to either way." 

His head lowers, hitting his forehead on the table softly in surrender. "I guess I can't make you."

"Don't be like that!" I tell him, not buying into his guilt trip.

"Fine" he answers, not seeming too upset. "But I AM going with you. Wherever you go, I'm not leaving you."

"Like I would let you go off by yourself! I don't trust that world with you, either!"

"Yeah, except _I _have the Princess."

**Sora's POV: ****FINDING KAZUO**

I take Kairi's hand as we step off the ferry and grip it, making sure she never leaves my side. It's hard to believe that just last night, my life was almost over, and today, I'm testing its limits yet again. But last night, isn't today. This is a favor her Kairi. And we made sure to grab all the potions we could. _"Maybe we can pick up some more while we're here… I don't know how productive this will be…" _

We reach the castle gates, where the keeper, OF COURSE, stops us. "No commoners allowed in the palace!"

"We're not," Kairi protests. "My name is Kairi. Let me in."

"You are _not _the Princess Kairi. I know this. Leave now."

I roll my eyes, "Then you're stupid" I announce. "Let us in. You remember the wedding being interrupted? My fault. Let us in NOW" I demand. _"I'm so tired of stupid of dumbasses!"_

"What's your name?"

"SORA FISCHER. From DESTINY ISLANDS" I say impatiently. Kairi nudges me to calm me down. But I'm already on my guard. And I have no reason to be nice to this guy. "Where's Kaiyo anyway?" I demand again.

He ignores the last question and pulls out his walkie-talkie, calling the King, apparently. But no… Kazuo comes out. I pull Kairi's hand behind my back, forcing myself between them. _"There's no way I'm letting him near her."_

"Look!" he exclaims with a false happiness. "There's my runaway bride!"

"In your dreams, asshole!" I shout. _"Man,__my language is slipping…" _

"WOW… Is that the best you got, Fish?"

My jaw tightens and darts of death seethe from my eyes. I wish he were dead so bad. "No, but I'd imagine a prince would have a better vocabulary" I insult. A small squeak of what sounds like a giggle escapes into my ear from Kairi, forcing a smile on my face. 

A laugh escapes Kazuo's lips, too, turning my smile into a scowl, "Good one, Fish. Now how's about you just hand her over before you get hurt."

"No friggin way" I deny him. "And that's by HER choice. She left you, didn't she?"

"Hmm… Somehow, that doesn't matter. You see… We're married."

"Ah, but she never said 'I do'. Remember, you skipped that?"

"Shut the hell up."

"No, 'cuz I'M WINNING. _Kairi, why aren't you saying anything…?" _

"She's in enough trouble as it is for running away. And I BET she even cheated."

"Ohh… If only you KNEW" I say arrogantly. THIS is why I did that! Now I really can rub it in his face. 

Kairi's frame inches further behind me on her own will, as if afraid to tell him what we did. I squeeze her hand, looking for permission to let him have it. Nothing comes. "What are you talking about?!" now Kazuo demands. I turn to face her, my back to him. An unreadable fear hides behind her eyes. 

"Kairi…" I whisper. "We have to tell him."

"I'd rather it not be here… Or now…"

"It's gotta happen…" I sympathize. 

She nods, allowing me to do on. If I could kiss her right now, I would. But instead, I turn to face Kazuo again. "Kazuo, you're really stupid if you can't figure it out" I jump around the bush. Fire blazes in his eyes. 

"That's Prince Kazuo, dumbass!"

"So PRINCELY language of you!" I comment. "Where's her parents?"

"Busy."

"Get them."

"No."

"I don't think you want to find out by yourself."

"I'm not getting them."

"Then pass it on. Kairi _did _cheat on you. More than you or her parents would expect from her. You see, she's going DRASTIC, just to throw you guys off."

"Fucker!" he exclaims, lunging for me. It must've finally sunk in.

He misses, and I let go of Kairi's hand, putting my fists up. This time, I'm ready. He lunges for me again, but I bend down just in time to flip him over onto the concrete. I let him pick himself back up before sending a few jabs to him. Some, he deflects, some hits, and some, he counters. But he still hasn't gotten me yet. I notice him reach into his back pocket for his knife, and reach into my own to reveal Selphie's Colt Delta Elite that she keeps in her kitchen. The same gun that almost killed Kaiyo. I hold steady, pointed directly at him before he can even flip open his dinky weapon. Kairi takes a few steps back. I told her nothing would happen. And with this, it won't. "Drop it, Kazuo" I warn him. 

"You won't shoot me. I bet you don't even know how."

"Doesn't matter. It's one of the most powerful handguns in the world. And one of the most accurate."

"Bull shit."

I cock the gun, prepared to fire. "Drop it" I tell him again. He obeys and drops it. "Kick It over to the nice princess now" I demand, and again, he listens. "Now tell us where Kaiyo is."

He laughs, "That's why you're here, right?" He clears his throat. "I guess they were right to just lock him up and not worry about you" he addresses Kairi. I re-aim at him.

"Don't talk to her." I motion toward the door. "Pass on the news. She's not your princess anymore. She's not your wife. She's not anyone to you. If you won't tell us where he is, then go."

He turns and is about to exit when Kairi finally speaks up, "Wait, Kazuo! Tell me where he is!"

He turns to face her, the gun in my hands still trained at his head. Hey, at least I'm trying. And it's on safety anyway…

"Why?" he asks.

"Because he's my brother. I love him. I know you can't imagine what that's like, but I really need him."

"Guess you should've thought about that before you went off sleazing around" he criticizes. "SLUT."

"Bastard" I mumble under my breath, unable to keep it from slipping out.

"Take me to him. Please." She turns to me. "Put the gun down, Sora…"

I look at her, and hesitantly lower it upon seeing her nod in reassurance to me.

"Why should I?" he questions. 

"What do you want? I'll give you anything. Just tell me where he is." 

"Kairi!" I exclaim. _"What is she thinking?!"_

Kazuo puts his hand up, "No. I wanna hear this. Let the girl speak."

So she takes a step forward. I can see her hands trembling. _"Tell me you're planning something!" _

**Author's Note: Told you it was boring. Don't worry. Next chapter follows along the same level. Lol. But, please still review. I HAVE to get Kaiyo out of jail. …Somehow… Anyway, please review!**


	22. One Long Process

CHAPTER XXII: ONE LONG PROCESS

**CHAPTER XXII: ONE LONG PROCESS **

**Author's Note: Alright, guys. Last chapter for these reviews! Don't make me take it down! PLEASE!**

**Sora's POV: ****OKAY, NEW PLAN**

Kairi keeps denying him after every 'favor' he puts out there. Of course, the first is sex. At that, a smirk crosses his lips, eating away at my already low patience. "No? Anything else, you'll have to do in front of him" he points to me.

I grab her forearm, "Forget it, Kairi. We'll find him on our own."

"No, Sora. He's probably in there somewhere. The only way we get in, is him." She turns her eyes on him again. "Name it."

He names off a few more, making my blood boil with hatred. She deserves more than that.

Her jaw sets, eyes closed, "Something NOT along those lines."

"Then no deal," the smile remains plastered on his face.

My teeth set themselves without being told, grinding the molars against each other, "No one said I'd sit there and watch anyway" I say, ending this negotiation. My way's better. 

"Sora…" Kairi tries to reason.

"No, Kairi. He wouldn't tell you anyway. And he definitely wouldn't tell you before hand." I shake me head, "There's no way I'm letting you do that." I raise the gun again at him, releasing the safety adjustment as discreetly as possible. 

"Sora, put it down!" Kairi demands me.

"No. I'm not letting you do that" I say, keeping my eyes focused on where the gun is pointed. 

"You're pretty controlling" Kazuo sneers. 

"What the heck?" I say. "Can't anyone make up their minds? Yesterday I was called a pussy and today, I'm controlling? No. I just don't care unless it hurts someone. So, shut up!" I scream at him. 

"Sora, put it down! Please!" she begs of me. 

"_I'm sorry, Kairi. I can't do that. _Tell me where he is." I order the pathetic prince.

"You're about to end up the same place if you don't put that away" he threatens. 

But to my mind… That's a hint. _"What am I doing? Threatening his life. Where can that put me if it were up to Kazuo? Probably jail. THAT'S IT! And who said watching Cops all the time got you nowhere?" _

I lower my firearm, "Kairi, let's get outta here."

"Huh?" she asks me, turning toward me in confusion. "But Kaiyo…"

"Don't worry. I just figured out where he is."

"What? How?" she asks me.

"Sparky here just gave it away," I indicate to Kazuo. 

"Then where is he?" he laughs halfheartedly.

"Why should I tell you? You already know," I add smartly to my insults. I grab Kairi's arm to turn her around to leave, but notice Kazuo take an indirect step from the palace and I turn, raising the gun again to him. He backs off and turns himself around, mumbling obscenities. "Don't forget to pass on the good news!" I yell after him to an empty response. I

I put the gun back on safety, just in case I missed a bullet when taking them all out. I couldn't really kill him, even if I DO want to… And even if it'd be a favor to all of us…. A light hand grazes my hand on the weapon; I look up to see Kairi. "Do you really know where he is?"

"I have an idea. But I don't know where it'd be" I sigh.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you know where the prison is?" I ask her casually. "I mean, that's the only way we'd end up in the same place. Crashing your wedding like that HAD to be against the law."

Her eyes light up, "You really think he could be there?"

"Good possibility."

"But how do we get him out?"

**Kairi's POV: ****NAUGHTY TRICKSTER**

"_I can't believe we're doing this!"_I walk into the station as casually as I can and look around. The officer behind the desk, obviously fresh out of the academy, watches me. I trace up to him, giving one of my best smiles. "Sir?"

He eyes me, a smirk on his lips, "What can I do for you?"

"My car broke down outside. I think I have a flat. Could you help me?"

A giggle escapes me as I cause him to stammer, and stand to his feet. "We'll see what I can do." As I walk out the door, I hold it open for a spiky-haired brunette boy to come in. 

"Where's your car?" The officer asks.

I make my eyes widen and act as if some horrible thing just happened to me, "IT'S GONE! It was JUST here! It had my purse… my driver's license… everything!"

"Did someone take off with it?"

"Why else wouldn't it be here?!" I demand. _"Uh… Maybe because I'm lying…" _

"Do you know who might have done it?" he asks me again; I shake my head. "Alright, well, all we can do is file a report."

"Good idea!" I follow him back inside. The boy crosses my path and brushes his shoulder with mine. I sit down in the policeman's office with him, while giving him a bunch of crap about my make-believe car, turning it into something I wish I could have, but know I never WILL have. My phone in my pocket buzzes and I pick it up, apologizing to the man. "Hello? … Dad? … What are you—You found my car on the side of the road and had Riku come pick it up for me? … "When?" … "Just now? … "Oh, thanks…. I was just filing a report… … Alright, I'll tell him. Thanks." I hang up, breathing a fake sigh of relief. "My dad had his friend come pick it up for me. He has a spare key. I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay. I'm glad it all worked out."

I stand up, shaking his hand, "Well, you can just throw that away. It's pointless now."

He lingers his hand in mine, "I guess so."

I pull my hand out of his, "Thanks again. You have a great day."

**Sora's POV: ****WHILE HE'S PREOCCUPIED… **

I watch the inside of the building as Kairi meets the poor policeman. As they make their way out, I waste no time in going in, passing them by as they step outside. I make my way swiftly behind the desk and quickly type in Kaiyo's name, making sure I can return to the first page as soon as I'm done. I find his cell number and quickly find the key, located with a bunch of other keys under the desk. Only, it's on a huge keying. Hey, it's in the right hundreds. I drop them in my pocket, turning the computer back to the home page, and swiftly make my way back to the door. _"Only minutes… How did this really work?"_I step outside and wait a few minutes before taking out my cell phone.

"Hello?" a voice answers the rings.

"Hey…"

"Dad?"

"Yeah, hey, I found your car… Riku's picking it up…" I play along just in case the volume is up too high on her phone and the cop can hear, even though she's repeating everything I'm saying. "Yup."

"When?"

"A few minutes ago."

"Just now?"

"Yeah. Completely forgot to call you until now. But I did!"

"Oh, thanks."

"I'm really sorry. I hope I wasn't too late…"

"I was just filing a report."

"Well, tell the nice policeman I'm sorry. I apologize. And I'll come by to pick you up."

"Alright, I'll tell him. Thanks." She hangs up, followed by me. I wait just around the corner for her to come out.

"_Okay, now for the hard part. Kazuo HAD to let everyone know inside the prison that we'd be coming. If that really is where Kaiyo is anyway…" _

After pulling the wool over the poor cop's head, we head over to the actual prison. I let Kairi know that I don't know how bad security might be, so we might have to be separated. Of course she doesn't like it, and neither do I, but it's the best we can do. As we step into the prison gates, I can tell that this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought. Kairi leans over, clutching my arm, "Sora, stay close."

"I'll do my best," I reply, taking a gulp. There's the main entrance, which we need to avoid, that's connected to a huge building, where I'm supposing the cells are. Kaiyo HAS to be in one of those. And I'm not doing this just for Kaiyo. I owe him. He helped me after Kazuo messed me up, and he helped me bring Kairi home. I couldn't have done it without him. Now it's my turn to help him. I stop walking and have Kairi face me. "How do you want to do this?"

"I don't know…" she shakes her head, "I don't want you to use that gun…"

I laugh, "Me neither. I've never shot one in my life!"

"You sure looked like you knew what you were doing…"

"THAT'S because I did. I took all the bullets out and put it on safety, just in case."

She smiles at that, "Sora…" she rolls her eyes.

I stop and think, turning back to our mission. "I have an idea… But I don't like it."

"What?"

I dig in my pocket, pulling out the keys and hand them to her, "Take these."

"Huh? Why?"

"His cell is 117, okay? I'll distract them. Once they have me, you can go anywhere you want, and there won't be anyone to stop you."

"No! I don't want to do anything to get either of us behind those doors!"

"Listen to me" I level with her, "We can do this. I'll stir things up in a way you can't even imagine." I smile, telling her that I'll have fun with this. "We'll get out. And I have my phone."

"At least until they take it from you."

"Right! And then you can come look for me after you get Kaiyo out. With how he fights, we'll have no problems. And I can hold myself, too."

"Listen to yourself! These guys are just doing their jobs!"

"But they won't listen to us. You know that. If we get caught, all three of us, then we'll sit down and talk things over. They'll let us go. And we won't hurt them. I'll just wave around like an idiot." I smile again, making her lips curve in an automatic grin.

"I hate you."

"But it's the only thing that'll work. I'll call you when it's okay, or you can watch."

"Just call me."

"Alright." I wrap my hand behind her neck, pulling her face into mine for a quick kiss. "I love you, and I promise. I'll call."

"You better," she calls after me as I leave her.

**Author's Note: Well, that's it… PLEASE LET ME PUT UP ANOTHER CHAPTER!! Or a few… But you have to review in order for me to! You guys are awesome! Hope you keep reviewing!**


	23. Freedom

CHAPTER XXVIII: FREEDOM

**CHAPTER XXIII: FREEDOM**

**Author's Note: Okay! 3 more chapters! These go to KHFanFicObsessed, DyneUzuki, and of course, TheAngelOfHope!!**

**Sora's POV: ****YOU CAN'T SEE ME! OKAY, MAYBE YOU CAN…**

I take off toward the windows of the prison building, looking for Kaiyo's room, just to waste time until someone sees me. Ten minutes go by, and I figure that these guys really can't do their jobs, so I just waltz into the main building and draw the no-good gun. It gets things done fast. In no time, I'm forced to drop the gun and am thrown to the ground, face first. I fight, just to get more attention, and give Kairi more of an advantage. I don't really care about doing this fast, as long as it's done right. By the time I have at least 10 guys on me, I fight them off enough to pull out my phone and speed dial my accomplice. I leave it laying there for her to hear everything going on as they pull my hands behind my back with some major effort. They jerk me to my feet, and one of the guys finds my phone and hangs it up, shaking it in my face.

"Who'd you think you were trying to call?"

"My little sister" I tell them, looking down as if ashamed. They pick up my phone and open its chamber. He looks up at me with a puzzled look; I smile guiltily.

"Why would you come in here, waving this around, with nothing in it?"

"There's nothing in it? Bastard!" I curse. "He screwed me over!"

"Get him outta here…" The officer concludes and has me taken away.

**Kairi's POV: ****REACHING KAIYO**

Ten minutes after waiting, I get a phone call. _"Sora! Yes! Wait! No! Aw, c'mon!"_I answer it tohear what the background is like. There's a bunch of men yelling to each other, and I can hear Sora struggling. And in an instant, it hangs up. I'd be so worried if this weren't planned. Not that I'm not right now anyway…

I take off in the direction of the main building, following in close behind. At least I can hear the direction that they're going. But that doesn't mean Kaiyo's guard free. In the cells as I pass by, now in the larger part of the building, I can see some asleep, some playing games, and others talking to each other in separate cells. But still, some run up to the gates and beckon to me. Some vulgarities, and yet some pledges and pleading. To both I ignore and head straight to the cell I'm most concerned with, other than Sora's. I can hear Sora still struggling, and the officers fighting and yelling for control as they drag him through the halls. They take a right turn at a fork. I follow, and then turn around not seeing any promising cell numbers and trying a different direction. I find the hundreds and scan the numbers as I pass by. I hit cell 117 where I see a toilet, and a bed in a small room with no outside light. In the corner is a man sitting, head bowed, his orange hair clashing with his orange suit. His fists are firmly planted on the ground in front of him. I can even hear him mumbling.

"Kaiyo?" I whisper, interrupting him. His eyes shoot up with a flash of red from his irises, widening at the sight of me. He jolts to his feet and sprints to me.

"Kairi?!" he whispers, "What the hell are you doing here?!"

I pull out the keys. "What do you think?"

"How'd you get those?!"

"Don't worry about that!" I whisper back to him, "Just… let's get outta here. We have to find Sora."

"He's here too?"

"Yeah. How else would I've gotten this far?" I ask him, smiling. I unlock the door and grasp him, wrapping my arms around him, unable to contain myself.

"You shouldn't be here," he tells me, "either of you."

"I don't care!" I tell him, hugging him tighter. His arms wrap around me and hold me tightly back. _"__KAIYO!! _You're coming back with us! You have to!"

"And then what?" he asks me. I let go of him and grip the sleeves of his jumpsuit.

"Then you'll be with me…"

"And what about the kingdom?"

"That doesn't matter! C'mon! They put you in jail! There's no way you can fix it! You'll just end up here again, and I don't know if we'll be able to do this anymore."

He looks away and nods, "I guess you're right…"

"Now, we gotta get Sora!" I tug on him.

He follows suit and comes with me, my hand in his. "Where is he?"

"Uh…" I stop at the fork to think, and then tug on his hand again. "This way!" We follow the cells as I call Sora's name in a low whisper.

"Kairi?" I hear a reply from the end of the hall. "Kairi! Be careful!"

I let go of Kaiyo and jog to the cell Sora's voice came from. "Sora, Kaiyo's coming back with us!"

"That's great, Kairi! Now, get me out!" he laughs.

"You sound too happy," Kaiyo interferes as he comes up from behind. I giggle and get the key.

"You know," I tell them while unlocking the door, "getting outta here will be hard."

"Nah," Sora replies, "They're probably too busy getting some doughnuts and coffee."

"Sora!" I scold. The latch unlocks and I hit him playfully. "Let's get outta here now. I hate this place."

"Maybe that's because we're not supposed to be in here to begin with," Sora adds sarcastically. I take Kaiyo and Sora's hands, and we head back the way we came from. And, on the way out, we find an alarm for escapees at the end of an out-of-the-way hallway. Kaiyo runs and flips the switch. We take off running the opposite direction and wait for the guards to be too preoccupied to notice us before we run out of the building, through the main entrance. We stop running once we hit the ferry.

Kaiyo slumps down into the same position as I found him in and sulks for some reason. I stoop down beside him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shakes his head and looks out on the waves. A smile creeps onto his face. "I really don't have to go back, do I?"

I switch to a sitting position beside him, "Nope. And I don't want you to, either."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Kazuo. We made him tell us. Kinda. Sora did, really."

Kaiyo glances up at Sora, "What did YOU do?"

"Well… a friend of ours had a Colt Delta Elite, and I took out the bullets and put it on safety…"

"Nice!" Kaiyo smiles at him.

Sora plops down in front of us, "And he STILL wouldn't tell me, but he said I'd end up the same place you were if I didn't put it away. That told me right there where you were."

"So how'd you end up in jail?"

"Colt Delta Elite," Sora replies. "You know, cops really don't like it when you come in waving a gun all over the place."

Kaiyo laughs. "No… I don't think so…"

"They took my phone…"

Kaiyo tosses him his. "Don't worry about it. Take it, keep it. I don't want it!"

"So are you coming to school with us tomorrow?"

"I can't!" Kaiyo refuses. "What time is it anyway?"

I flip open my phone, "9 o'clock…"

"No effing way," he says.

"They shouldn't care… They don't even know mom left, or that my address changed."

"Smart, Kairi," he tells me.

"What?! I just hate this crap… _I'm _ready to leave…"

Sora looks over at me in surprise, "What does THAT mean?"

I stop and look down, "_How do I tell him?_ Sora, I want to leave Destiny Islands."

**Author's Note: I know it was short, but the next two chapters will be longer than the average ones! Review please!**


	24. A New Ally

CHAPTER XXIV: A NEW ALLY

**CHAPTER XXIV: A NEW ALLY**

**Author's Note: Okay, guys, here we go!!**

**Kaiyo's POV: ****CONFLICT NOT GOOD…****  
**

Ever since Kairi and Sora came to get me, I feel like I'm running away. But, isn't that what I was doing in the first place? Isn't KAIRI the one who didn't want to run away? How did we switch identities like that? But that's my kingdom, that's where I grew up. And still… I hate it. I don't ever have to go back. Screw the responsibilities! I'm free! Kairi and I can go off somewhere like she wants. I can take her to Twilight Town, or anywhere she wants!

"So, you're just gonna leave?" Sora asks Kairi after he walks her home. I'm with them too, of course, but I'm not saying he walked me here, too.

"I'd like to…" she answers him quietly.

"_Okay, what'd I miss? So they're together? Big deal. They'll move on. Right?"_

"Right…" Sora suddenly avoids both of us, starring at the ground.

"Sora… I want you to come with us" Kairi proposes. I can tell you right now, he's not gonna go for it.

"Kairi…" he answers her, "I can't. I have my mom and my sisters."

"They can take care of themselves…" she tries to reason with him.

"I can't do that," he shakes his head. "If I do, I'm just like my dad. What will that tell Aerith? And Yuna? Yeah, she's older, but…"

"Right…" Kairi repeats what Sora said earlier. "I guess… I can wait for a little while. But I think I'm moving back to my old house. It's not fair on Mr. and Mrs. Tilmitt… But I don't know if I can wait that long."

"Okay." He gives her a hug and she turns tail. "I love you…" he trails off, sounding upset.

"_Did something just happen that I missed?"_

"Yeah" she replies.

"_Ouch!"_

**Sora's POV: ****DEALING WITH FAMILY**

I walk off, feeling empty. _"Did I do something wrong? Why is she… Does she really hate this place that much? But there're all my friends! And Riku's just coming back!"_I walk through my front door. My mom comes in, breathless.

"Sora Fischer! Where've you been?!"

"I had to go with Kairi back to Radiant Garden…"

"Why?!"

"Because Kaiyo was in jail… we had to get him out."

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?!"

"Uh…" Tears pour down her face as anger and hurt rises in her face.

"Why were you arrested?!"

"Huh?! _How'd she find out?!_"

"Where did you get a gun?" she asks more hurt now.

"Mom…" I go to giver her a hug and she refuses. "Kaiyo was in jail…" I try to explain. "It was the only way to get him out. It was either me or Kairi in jail. One of us had to be the distraction. And ask the officer! The gun was empty! And I had it on safety!"

"I thought I raised you better than that…" she trails off and rushes to her room. I start after her, but turn again and go to my room, shutting the door behind me. I plop down on my bed to think.

"_Why is everyone rejecting me?"_I hear a faint knock at my door. "Come in!" I call. It opens and I look to see Aerith come in.

"Why's mom crying?" she asks.

"I did something bad," I tell her, unsure of how to handle this situation. I sit up in my bed and beckon her to sit by me. I put my arm around her.

"She's been crying since she tried to call you… It didn't help that Yuna left to spend the night with a friend on a school night…"

"I know… I just tried to do the right thing, but I went to some really big extremes." I ignore the bit about Yuna. She does that a lot.

"Like what?"

"I went to jail, and I had a gun." She jumps and I shush her.

"Why you do that?!"

"Because, I had to help Kaiyo. I was a distraction. I wasn't going to hurt anyone. _Not even Kazuo._"

"Then why'd you have a gun?"

"BECAUSE… I had to be a distraction…"

"WHY?"

"To get someone out of jail who didn't deserve to be there. You see… Kairi was getting married… And do you remember Kaiyo?" She nods.

"He's mean…"

I laugh, "Not really, but Kaiyo helped me take care of that wedding, so Kairi's not really married now. But after Kairi and I got back, they put Kaiyo in jail."

"So you had to get him out?"

"Yup."

"So why were YOU in jail?"

"Because I had the gun," I tell her, getting a little frustrated.

"Did you tell mom that?"

"Sure did, but I think it was too much for her right now. I'll talk to her later, though. It'll all be better tomorrow. I promise."

"Okay…" She slips her arms around my neck and I give her a squeeze. Moisture accumulates in the corners of my eyes.

"_How could I leave you? You believe me when no one else does._ Alright, well. YOU need to get ready for bed. It's already passed your bedtime," I tease.

"Aw! Bubby!" I laugh at her and stand up, really wanting her to leave. Yuna's probably on a date right now, so who cares about her? I'll talk to her later, too. Aerith runs out of my room and I plop back down on my bed, pulling out the phone Kaiyo handed me.

**Kairi's POV: ****TRAPPED**

Kaiyo keeps pestering me about what just happened with Sora! It's so annoying! I run outta the house and keep running until I hit my house. I run in and collapse on my bed. _"What's wrong with me? Why am I so upset? I HATE this place! I hate Seifer and all his little friends! I want OUT! When did I decide this? I guess it was somewhere in between what happened to Sora and getting Kaiyo out of Radiant Garden. He'd come with me, but Sora won't. I can't leave him. But is it worth staying? Will anything ever REALLY happen between us? Or will we end up like most couples and break up? Would I be saving myself from more hurt if I left now? Where would I go?"_

There's a crash somewhere downstairs. My body jerks into awareness as I slowly slip off the bed onto my feet. Another crash, and now a bang, sounding like a door slam. I flip open my phone to check the time again. 10p.m. _"That wouldn't be mom, and definitely not Kazuo… Maybe I should just go…" _My breathing slows as my heart drops into my stomach. It's too late. They're coming up the stairs. I can hear their footsteps carelessly hitting the floor, not caring if anyone's home. I quickly look around my room, unable to move from my spot, and try to find something I can use as a weapon. The lock on my door is backward, to keep me in. I can't lock them out. There's nothing in here! I move my feet, pressing myself as much against my door as possible while holding the handle. Some masculine voices reach my ears and my breathing subsides.

"Hey, what about these rooms up here?! They gotta have some better stuff in this dump!" One tries my door; I can feel it though the handle. "Hey! I think it's locked!" There's a pause, "Wait! No it's not! Lock's on this side! Some fucking psychos must've lived here!" he yells. The handle in my hand takes a hard twist, making me let go, and in the next second the door flies open, knocking me to the floor. He starts to yell that it's jammed until it jerks open and he cuts himself off. My eyes lift up to see a tall boy I've never seen before, although he must be just a few years older than I. He has brown hair with bangs just below his eyebrows, his hair trimming just below the cartilage on both ears with tiny curls. A broad smile crosses his lips. "And who might YOU be?" He takes a step toward me and I scoot back. He laughs. "Hey, Harku! Get in here!" he calls. I try to find my voice, but it's left me far by now. Another boy enters my room with black and white hair, having gray eyes and wearing leather and chains. A dark aura surrounds him, making him all the more frightening and intimidating.

A smirk crosses his lips as well, "I see you've found someone…" he stoops down to me. I look to his eyes for some kind of insight of what's going to happen to me now. "And who are you?" he asks, staring at me.

"K-Kairi…" I choke out.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my house…" I tell him quietly.

"Where's your parents?" he asks me, calmly, not moving toward me anymore, though I recede closer to my wall and further from him.

"Gone…"

"So you're by yourself? For how long?" he asks, worried, but I'm not sure why. He may want to know what all he has time to do with me. Kill me, rape me, or worse, both.

I find it impossible to come up with a lie, "I'm alone."

"And you parents…?" he asks again.

"They're not coming back…" I say, almost in a whisper, scared to death. He plops down in front of me, watching me more.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asks again.

"It's still my house until the government comes to take it…"

"Getting your stuff?" he prompts.

I shake my head, though it's not a bad idea, "No. I was just… running from where I'm staying right now… I was upset…"

"And now?"

"I'm scared…" I whisper.

His appearance is lighter, almost easier to believe. "I bet you're wondering what _we're _doing here, eh?" he asks me, and I nod. "I bet you think we're robbing you." I nod again; he chuckles. "Well, since you're being so honest, I guess we'll give you that much, too. You'd be right. We didn't think anyone lived here anymore. Haven't seen a car for days."

"Dude!" the brunette interrupts, complaining. Pale eyes looks back at him, gesturing to him with his middle finger, then turns back to me and holds out his hand for me to take it.

I just look at it. "It won't bite" he tells me. "I'm Harku, and this is Jamie" he nods to the boy behind them. "You need to be more careful."

"Huh?" I stare at his hand and he shakes it at me to take it. I take note of the black leather gloves he's wearing, cut to allow his fingers through. I take it and he helps me up. I don't know why I'm trusting him, though. Once I'm up, he jerks me into his arms and holds me there, taking on his older appearance from when I first saw him.

His voice takes a husky tone in my ear, sending shivers down my spine and giving me goose bumps. "Pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone…" he tosses me to the other boy's arms as my phone drops out of my pocket and hits the floor between us. It suddenly beeps, showing a txt message. Harku bends down and picks it up while I fight Jamie for control. "Who's KAIYO?" he asks me out loud.

"_Kaiyo gave his phone to Sora… THAT'S SORA!!" _I silently cheer, fighting more. Jamie laughs.

"Must be someone important. Who is it?"

"Please! It's my brother's phone, but my boyfriend has it right now! Please!" I beg with them to hand it back.

"Then in that case…" he flips it open and reads the txt. "'Hey, Kairi, just wanted to say I was sorry for our argument earlier. I can't leave right now. I don't want to be as bad as my dad. You have to understand that. But I love you, and I hope you'll wait to leave. I don't know what I'd do without you…'" he trails off. "Aw, how sweet!" he clasps it shut. "Your little boyfriend really cares about you. Now you don't have to be so upset." He hands me back my phone and Jamie lets go of me. I take my phone and clutch it to my breast. Harku takes a casual stance beside me, lightening up his atmosphere, but it forebodes me from trusting him, because his darker appearance still exists in his eyes. "And, you know, if the guys knew you were in here and we didn't do anything to you, we'd be punished. But, as it turns out, you're a friend of Riku's. And any cousin of mine deserves to have his friends taken care of. You really should learn to be safer, and because you're not just any girl, Miss Kairi, because of Riku, the Sabers have your back."

**Author's Note: The end! One more chapter to go! PLEASE REVIEW! It's almost done!!**


	25. Thicker Than Water

CHAPTER XXV: THICKER THAN WATER

**CHAPTER XXV: ****Thicker than Water**

**A****uthor's Note: Last one!**

**Kairi's POV: ****KAIRI, MEET THE GANG**

Harku and Jamie drag me outta the house, wanting to show me off to all the other guys. Harku re-introduces himself to me as the Third in Command of the Sabers, Jamie just below him. Outside there must be about four or five guys hanging around. Harku addresses them all. By now, his whole appearance is darker with a different tone, a tone of authority and defiance, unlike the tone he had towards me as a girl. "Okay, guys! Just so you know, and so you can pass on the word, this is KAIRI! _Our_ Riku's friend, Kairi. I don't know if you guys remember, or if you're too new to remember, but Riku was Second in Command for the Cobras a couple years back. He's still friends with them, but that doesn't matter. I don't care if we're rivalries. Anyway, he's my cousin, as you all know. And don't even THINK about messing with MY blood, or else you'll seriously regret it. Kairi's his friend. She doesn't have anything to do with the Cobras." He looks to me for reassurance. "Right?"

I stammer, "I don't know…"

"Are you involved with Seifer or Rex, or any of those goons?" he asks. I nod.

"Seifer thinks I'm his, and he just… hurt my boyfriend, for lack of a better word..."

"YOUR boyfriend is the kid that got stabbed?!" Harku exclaims. "What'd you say his name was?"

"Sora…" I say quietly, scared to say too much.

"Sora? Sora FISCHER? Riku's friend, Sora?" he asks three times in a row.

"Yeah…"

"Someone stabbed him?" Harku's eyes shine black. I try to stop him.

"YES…"

"He just fucked with the wrong guy." There was no more convincing him now.

**Sora's POV: ****the sabers**

I rub my head again, groaning. She still hasn't txt me back, OR CALLED! _"Is she really that mad? Did I do something to really upset her? Or WHAT?" _I pull out Kaiyo's phone and dial her number. Before it can finish ringing, it goes to her voicemail. I'm about to redial when there's a knock on the door. I look at the time. _"What the heck? Who'd be here at 11?" _I cross the house and open the front door to find Kairi with a few guys in black leather, chains, and spikes. "Kairi!" I stammer and open the door further. "What-Who-Why…" She puts a finger to my lips to shut me up. _"Okay, so she's not mad anymore."_

"Shut up…!" she smiles. I close my mouth and straighten up. She withdrawals her finger and steps into the house, squeezing passed me. Then boys try to follow her and wait for me to step back to allow them in.

I do so, thinking _"What the heck? Why not?"_ They come in and stand around while Kairi helps herself to the sofa. _"What's gotten into her?" _

"Sora," she explains, "these are a few of the Sabers gang. Did you know Riku was 2NC of the Cobras?"

"Uh… Yeah, I guess, but what's that got to do with anything? He got out a long time ago." I glance at the gang. One in particular stands out more than the rest. _"I hope Riku's not in trouble…"_

"Wellll…" she continues, "This is Harku!" She points to the boy I noticed more than the others. "He's Riku's cousin, and 3NC of the Sabers."

A gulp edges its way down my throat. _"What is this about?"_

"And I guess blood really is thicker than water with these guys because Harku's VERY protective of his little cousin."

The boy finally speaks up, "He got me outta a bind a long time ago."

"What'd he do?"

"We were just kids. Stupid bastard couldn't keep his mouth shut when he saw my dad. Two weeks after I moved in with him I got word that he killed my mom and then himself." He smiles, despite the gravity of the situation. I guess he's just come to grips with it.

"Have you always lived with Riku?" I ask him, getting used to this bizarre feeling.

"Up until I got into high school. I was still a dependant until I turned 18, but I've lived by myself. And that's when I got into the Sabers. Riku's always been there for me, though. And so, I'm completely loyal to him, and so are the rest of the Sabers, by the Leader's order."

"Wow…" I conclude. "So why are you here?" He still hasn't told me that.

"You're Riku's best friend, right? At least that's what he's told us."

"Really? _We haven't really hung out in a while. I thought he kinda stopped caring…_"

"Yeah. He's always respected you. He said you were different from his other friends. More stable, or something like that."

"Oh… I guess that's why he got so upset when he found out…" I trail off.

"Found out about what?"

So we tell him everything that happened. Who cares if everyone finds out now? It doesn't matter anymore. But he seems to understand. His brow deepens in thought as he contemplates this idea, and draws the conclusion that it was a bad judgment on Riku's part, and that something will happen to Seifer for it.

"Wait! What?!"

"That asshole can't get away with that. Do you KNOW how much Riku regrets that? I haven't even really talked to him about it, and I can tell you right now, he feels like shit. He'd never try to do that to you" Harku continues.

"Well, we did get in that fight… But I know he wouldn't either. And he DID save my life." I shrug, getting more of an understanding.

"THAT'S the Riku I know."

"So… what are you going to do?" Kairi asks, piping up in a curious way.

Harku thinks again, "Let me think. You'll know when it's us. Trust me."

"You're not going to kill him, are you?" she asks, a little worried now.

"Not if we're told not to."

"Don't!" She and I say at the same time. I look away and smile. _"I wish they'd leave…" _

"Alright"

"Hey!" Kairi exclaims with an epiphany. "Could you go to Radiant Garden?"

"Why? To deal with your little problem?"

"It's not LITTLE" Kairi glares.

"It's going a little too big for me. We're strictly smalltime. But…" his appearance changes, as almost a dark shadow takes him over. I look to Kairi who seems unsurprised by this. Harku joins into my view of Kairi, taking his stance inches away from her. I take a step forward, wanting to protect while at the same time opposing the intimacy between them. "I might if I have reason to."

Before I can say or do anything, he's instantaneously pushed from Kairi by her herself. "No thanks." She stops for a minute and resumes talking. "You know, I think it's time I head back home. We have school tomorrow. We'll just wait to see what happens with Seifer."

"You don't want us to hurt him, right?"

"Right" she and I both say in unison again.

"Okay…" another smile creeps onto his face, making us exchange worried looks. We leave it pretty much at that, and minutes later they're gone. My mom must've cried herself to sleep hours ago… I feel so horrible…

I set aside my qualms and turn to Kairi, "One less thing to worry about."

She sighs, "I guess so…"

I close the distance between us and stare her in the eyes. "As soon as I can, we'll get outta here. I'll take you anywhere. Kaiyo, too. I just can't leave them like my dad did."

She looks away at the floor, "I know. I'm sorry… I was so selfish…"

I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "No, you're not. I don't blame you. But let's see how this goes. I want to know." I allow her to nod before I assert myself on her lips again. My aching body can't take this any more. Her hands come up, grasping my clothes tighter the deeper our attraction becomes. I feel a strict halt as her body hits the wall again. My hand slides to her shoulder, as I slip the strap of her shirt from it, skipping her neck for now and placing soft affections on her clavicle (A/N: shoulder bone, just above the collar bone, so basically, he's kissing her shoulder). My hands study her every curve in a slow motion for detail.

A slight moan of my name escapes her lips in the form of a question, and I have to force myself to stop. "Wouldn't it be easier to just go to your room?"

I clutch her hands at my sides with mine, and kiss her again, tempting myself while entertaining her idea. I pull away. Last time I didn't stop. Because I wasn't supposed to, and because, after I reached a certain point, I don't think I could've. But I told her not again.

Now that my own body's reached the point of no turning back and I can realize that, I don't know how true it is. I don't know if I have a choice of moving on or stopping now. All I can think of, is wanting to share this with her and only her for the rest of my life. I want to wake up next to her, make her breakfast, watch her sleep, just share life with her. I want to comfort her when she cries, be the subject of her wrath, and the father of her children.

I break away from her embrace and deny my flesh of what it really wants. Because, I realize that my heart is a lot stronger. I said no, and I have every intention of being that man someday for her. I love her. I can deny myself to save the best for a time I don't have to worry so much. I'll get those things I want without worrying about waking up mom, Aerith or anyone else. Without the fear of getting caught.

Her lips follow the rhythm of my letting go, begging for another taste. I completely let go of her. "Someday," I whisper huskily. I'm denying myself now, too. It's the hardest thing in the world for me to say no to THAT, to her, to me… My body cries for a satisfaction that won't come now. I had no idea it would be this hard. I quickly move to open the front door for her. As she leaves, she glances up to me.

"Thanks…" she trails, "For everything." I bang the back of my head against the door.

"_Dang it!" _I clench the doorknob my hand is on, trying to keep denying myself.

"Especially for still doing what you want. I'm sorry…" All urges drop except wanting to hold her. Odd day. "And for getting Kaiyo with me. I love you."

She reaches up and lands a soft kiss on my lips. A peck, really. "I love you, too. You know I'd do anything."

"I know," she smiles and steps out.

"Kairi!" I call after her and jog out to meet her. "I'll go with you. It's late." She giggles and allows me to accompany her by stepping aside. I make sure she gets to Selphie's safely and quickly pursue my way back home.

**Selphie's POV: ****BACK HOME**

"_Why hasn't Kairi gotten home yet?! Kaiyo's driving me crazy! I can't stand it!" _"Hallelujah" plays as I hear the front door open, and after a minute, close. I race to the living room to see my parents do the same, and Kaiyo already beat us.

A smile spreads across her face, "You will never guess! Our problems are over! At least… for now…"

She explains everything to me. At least, I think this is what she's telling me. Something about her problems with Seifer and that gang, Riku, Riku's cousin, some other gang, and something to do with them all being tied together in some weird way. But by the expression on her face, this is good. I smile along with her anyway.

"Isn't this great?!" Kairi cheers again.

"Yeah!" I look over at Kaiyo, whom I guess collected the whole story with full comprehension. Yet, he's not smiling or laughing. Kairi notices, too, and stops.

"Kaiyo!" she takes his hands. "This is good!"

"Kairi, no. No, it's not. You're just fighting one gang with another."

"So? C'mon! Harku's gang seems really serious! If you're worried about them, don't be! These guys don't play games!"

"That's what I'm worried about. I know the Sabers. They kick Vulture's asses by far. It's not even fair."

"Well, the Vultures aren't fair to us. And Harku won't hurt them. He promised."

"You're too damn naïve. " But just as the word escapes his lips, he's hit in the face with the hand of Kairi. SMACK! Straight across. "What's your fu…" he shuts up when she raises her hand again.

"Don't.. cuss" she seethes.

"Okay, but you could've just said that…"

"Well, now you'll remember better, huh?" she smirks.

"_I guess she's not really mad at him after all. Good! 'Cuz she was scaring me! I've never seen her slap anyone like that before!"_

He rubs his face. "I guess so…"

"And I _trust _Harku and the Sabers."

"As long as you fu… uh…" he stops himself.

"Good." Kairi lowers her hand once again. "And, they won't. Because of Riku. Blood's thicker than water after all."

"Yeah, I guess."

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm thinking I'll end this on chapter 30! So, I just need a few more reviews and that'll be it! (That means Review, readers. PLEASE!)**


	26. Sabers!

CHAPTER XXVI: SABERS

**CHAPTER XXVI: SABERS!**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, guys! I'm going to start putting one chapter up at a time after this one! So, keep reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: gosh… How many people really read this? Say Shwarts if you do! lol. Well… I own all my OCs… Which here include Xakk, Harku and Kaiyo… Wait, you don't know Xakk? Hmm… Then you might want to read this chapter! Everything else is owned by Kingdom Hearts btw…**

**Kairi's POV: **New kids

"_What's going to happen now?" _I look over to the new boy in school. My pulse quickens, knowing who he is. He's unmistakable, and now I worry about what Riku's gonna say about his cousin being in school. _"Didn't he drop out? Isn't he too old to be in High School? Harku!" _

"Kairi?" I turn to Sora, whose face is just as terrified as mine. "What's he doing here?"

"I don't know… But he promised no trouble…"

"Yeah, I know…" Another new student comes in. I guess after we got him out of jail, he's wanted to come back to school. Especially because of Seifer and his gang now. After all, Kaiyo _was _in a gang back there in Radiant Garden, too. It was the Sabers, too, and that's why he's been so hard on Harku. He even has the tattoo to prove it.

Kaiyo stops right behind us, "What are you doing? Walk!" he gives us a little push. I turn to face him after seeing Harku's eyes jerk up to Kaiyo.

"Don't push us, Kaiyo!" I whisper loudly.

"Why not?" he asks like he did nothing wrong. A smirk enters my face. It's kind of cute, even if he _is _my brother.

"Harku's here," Sora answers for me. Kaiyo looks up and immediately locks on Harku.

"Him?" he nudges toward him.

"Yeah…" I whisper back.

"I can tell. No Vulture acts like that."

"How can you tell?" Sora asks.

"Just can." He pushes past us and takes the seat next to Harku, ignoring us for now. I sit down in my seat just as the tardy bell rings.

"Wonder what _that's _all about," Sora observes, nodding to them as he takes his own seat.

"Kaiyo was a Saber back in Radiant Garden, Sora," I tell him, just wanting to keep him up to date.

"Really?" he blinks from surprise. "But he's the Prince. What position was he in?"

"I don't know. He never told me. But, he DID show me the tattoo…"

Sora leans back, almost dazed, "Wow…"

**Kaiyo's POV: **Don't Mess with Me

I move passed Kairi and Sora, unintentionally pushing them rudely. Sorry, but right now, I don't care. This is obviously the guy, and if he's a Saber, then he _has _to listen to me. No Saber here can take on the Lead Saber, AND a prince. I don't care. I'll pull rank. I can feel two pair of eyes staring at us from the other room, trying to drop some eaves on our conversation, so now I have to be careful about the tone I'm using.

"Who are you?" the supposed "Saber" asks me.

"_Keep your cool. This may not even be him. What if it's that Seifer kid?_ Kaiyo. I'm Kairi's brother." I nod over to the eavesdroppers.

"Really? She never said anything about a brother…"

"You don't believe me?"

"What's your name?"

"Well, what's yours?"

He leans forward, obviously tired of our little game, "Listen here, KID. Back OFF of Kairi, NOW."

"You're pretty protective of her, but I'm sorry. I'm her brother, so DON'T threaten me, and don't call me 'KID'" I glare at him. "What's your name?"

He sighs, "You obviously don't know who your dealing with."

"Oh, really? Are you honestly STILL trying to threaten me?"

"No. I'm WARNING you."

"You couldn't TOUCH me" I smirk, knowing that I'm about to find out if this guy is a Saber or not. He stands up, pushing the desks out of the way, ignoring the teacher. I stand up and pull up my fists.

"You're lucky she said not to KILL!" he announces, sending a speedy punch my way. I catch it and squeeze until there's a crack. I then let go and send a round house kick to his head, crashing him to the floor. I roll up my sleeves and peer in at his writhing face.

"THAT'S why you don't mess with a Saber Leader, KID," I show him my tat and offer my hand to him. "You a Vulture or what?"

"How can you be the Saber Leader? I'M a Saber. You're not the—"

I cut him off, "Radiant Garden. I believe my SISTER told you about that?"

"Who ARE you?" he asks, taking my hand as I pull him to his feet.

"Kaiyo."

I'm suddenly jerked to his side as he intently whispers in my ear. "PRINCE Kaiyo?"

"You've heard about me," I nod, satisfied. He should've. "And you are…?"

"Harku," he swallows. I smile.

Turning my attention to the frightened teacher, I nod, "We need to get him to the hospital to take care of that hand."

"I guess that would save me from writing you two up… Go!"

I smirk and help Harku out of the room. As I exit I hear Kairi declare that she's about to be sick and Sora announce that he's about to pee his pants. I decide to wait by the exterior door for them to come out. "Now, we need to come to an understanding…" I tell Harku once outside.

**Kairi's POV: **Another Leader

"_Holy crap! He was the LEADER?!" _I rush out of the classroom with Sora at my tail and exit the school through the nearest door. In doing so I almost run into Kaiyo, just outside the door. "Kaiyo!" I scold, "What did you think you were doing in there?! You'll never be able to come back to school! Harku, you know better, too!" Tears sting the back of my eyes partially due to wind from running and the rest from fear.

"What was I supposed to do? He wouldn't answer my questions."

"You could've told me who you were first! You KNOW a Saber doesn't just give that information away!"

"Then why would I have given it out, then?"

"True…" Harku sighs. "But you didn't have to break my hand!"

"That was the easy part. Wait… All of it was easy. Never mind." Kaiyo suddenly turns to me. "I thought you said these guys were the real thing. They seem a lot like imitation to me…"

"You didn't even give me a chance!" Harku objects.

"Yes I did. You just screwed it up, that's all," Kaiyo answers arrogantly. I've never seen him like this before…Why didn't he ever tell me?

"Fuck you."

Kaiyo jerks on the back of his shirt harshly, putting him back in place. "I don't care if I'm NOT supposed to punish you for that, but one more time and you'll seriously regret it."

Before we can even call an ambulance, someone comes out from the shadows into sight. Someone I don't recognize. "Kaiyo! What are YOU doing in Destiny Islands with my Third in Command?"

Kaiyo suddenly loses interest in Harku and drops him, meeting the stranger half-way. "Xakk… Haven't seen you in a while."

"What brings you here Carrot Top?"

"Shut the he-eck up." Kaiyo sends an almost scared look my direction, remembering my threat from last night.

"What's gotten into you? Last time I saw YOU, you were cussing up a storm."

"Last time you saw me, I didn't care about anything."

Xakk drops his head, "Don't change on me now…"

"I'm still Leader, don't get me wrong. But my 2NC needs to be taught a lesson. A big one. He's overstepped his boundary and hit my territory. Namely my sister."

"Mhmm… And I'm still confused. Then why are you _here_?"

I take a step forward and stop in my tracks. Suddenly, I don't want anything to do with the gangs. "Kaiyo?" He turns his face to me and beyond him, I can see the narrowed eyes of Xakk. I shut up, unable to take my eyes off his burning. Kaiyo turns to him telling him that I'm his sister and that Sora's with me.

"So, Riku's Kairi is also Kaiyo's Kairi… Interesting…" he turns to me with the same piercing black eyes. "You're quite popular, aren't you? I can see why," he concludes after looking me over.

"Don't even think about it, Xakk," Kaiyo warns his friend. "We need to talk business."

"What about Harku?" Sora chimes in.

"He disrespected a Leader, and a Prince one at that. Can't say he doesn't deserve it. Let him deal with it. It's only a broken hand."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"It's a signature of his."

**Author's Note: The beginning of an end… It's sad… I'm about to cry… But what must be, must be… WAA!! Please don't forget to review.**


	27. Giving Away

**CHAPTER XXVII: GIVE AWAY**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Disney character I may use. I DO own Kaiyo, though.**

**Kaiyo's POV: **Getting Down to Business

I make it a point to separate myself from Kairi and Sora for now by walking off with Xakk, kicking at rocks along the way.

"I heard you were in town. But for how long?" he asks me.

"I ran away from home. I'm here until Kairi and I leave, but she's not going anywhere until Sora comes, too. They've been through a lot."

"I see. But I also here you let yourself get put in jail."

I nod, "I had to give Kairi a chance to get out a Radiant Garden as soon and as single as possible."

"And you brought Sora to another world, not even caring about his punishment."

"He's punished enough. Besides, he's a fighter. He may not seem like it, but I wouldn't even be able to hold him back when it comes to her. He beat Riku."

"That's not difficult. He _was _a Vulture, after all. Kindergarteners wouldn't have a problem. But who taught him to fight?"

"No one that I know of. Maybe Riku… I dunno. He doesn't have a dad."

"What's his last name?"

"Fischer," I shrug. Even I know that there's nothing to that name, either.

"Hmm… He's an odd one. That's for sure."

"He'd just call it love," I smirk and wait a beat before adding gravity. "Maybe there's something to it…"

"I wouldn't know," Xakk states plainly. After another beat he changes the subject entirely. "So what's this business?"

"Kazuo," I shake my head. "He went after Sora a while back. Almost killed him. Probably would've if I hadn't jumped in."

"You know you're giving us a good reputation, right?"

"That's not what I'm trying to do. You want your reputation back? I'll draw Kazuo here and let _you_ deal with him."

Xakk narrows his eyes at me, sending a chill down my spine. I can't let him know my real intentions. I'm getting rid of everything here. He seems to reason with himself until extending his hand. I shake it as a smirk curves on his lips. "Alright, Carrot Top. You got a deal. Just bring him here."

"And I got a bonus for you."

"What?"

"I told you Kairi and I are leaving as soon as possible, right?"

"So?"

"I'd really like to go home after this."

"Kazuo will have been dealt with."

"But our parents still won't listen."

"So?"

"So, I'll give you a bonus for your rep. I'll arrange for them to be here, too. It only makes sense anyway. Then I'll go home and keep things cool there until they're ready."

"Whatever you say, Orangey."

"Shut the fuck up…"

**Sora's POV: ****Fighting Kaiyo**

I don't know what's going on. I don't know who this Xakk guy is, because I've never seen him before, and Harku's not spilling anything. In fact, about the time Kaiyo and his friend left, Harku disappeared, saying that this was all BS. In doing so, he left Kairi and I alone without the thought of heading back to class. This is promising, considering what almost happened the other night. Of course, that's promising a disaster.

I take a seat on the concrete, sitting against the school building. Kairi slumps down beside me and lays her head on my shoulder. "Sora?" I hear in a sad tone.

"Huh?" I ask, tone equally matched.

"You were right. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have brought the Sabers into it…"

I sigh, "It's too late now, Kairi. I don't think they'll stop now that they actually have something to do." I concentrate on working up a smile, "But it's going to be okay. Kaiyo's not gonna let anything happen, right?"

"I hope not…"

I sigh again and kiss the top of her head, then rest mine on hers. I close my eyes and don't open them again until a feel a smooth hand work its way into mine. I smile at the contact and play with her thumb with my other hand.

She giggles, "What are you doing?"

"Concentrating on something…"

"What?" I can feel her beaming from under me.

"The detail of the hands of an angel," I smirk stupidly, meaning every word of it.

She lifts her head from under mine and looks widely into my eyes. I stop playing with her hands and turn to her a little better, bringing my free hand to her face, grazing her cheek with my knuckles softly. She pulls her hand from mine and takes hold of the hand touching her face. Her eyes close. "I can't believe you don't regret it…"

"Regret _what_?!" I almost burst out into hilarity.

"Deciding to give us a shot…"

I lean into her face a little more, "If I hadn't, you'd be off in Radiant Garden, married to some jerk who doesn't love you, and I'd never see you again. _That's_ something I'd regret."

"But you wouldn't have known about me…"

"I'd still regret not ever seeing you again. I honestly don't know why I was so worried about it before. I loved you even then. I was just too stupid to know it."

"I'm sorry I brought you into this…"

"Then _you _must regret us if you really believe that. I would've jumped in. You didn't _force _me to. I volunteered."

"Sora—" she starts to object, but before she has time to even finish her sentence, I pull her into a kiss to settle all her fears. She melts onto me, molding with me. Seconds later we're interrupted by two sets of footprints. I feel her jump in my hands and let her lips free. She turns to see Kaiyo and Xakk watching us. We share a blush.

"Kairi…!" Kaiyo exclaims, "You two can't keep your hands off each other, can you?!" he teases with a smile. Kairi's face turns roughly the color of cherry Kool-Aid.

She breaks out in a smile I haven't seen in a while. "Shut up, Kaiyo! You're just jealous that you don't have anyone to kiss like that!"

I laugh. "Oh! She got you there, man!"

"You think that's funny, Fischer?! Wanna go?!" Kaiyo smiles playfully.

"Ah, not now," I smile, squinting at the sun now. "Maybe later."

"C'mon! I'll take it easy on you! Xakk wants to see what you got anyway!"

I sigh and stand up. "Alright, alright… What's the rules?"

"No groin shots."

"Duh…" I reply to him.

"Nothing to the face that will bruise or bleed or _break_."

"Okay… I don't usually take those shots anyway."

"That's it. Now time to kick some bootie!" Kaiyo yells and puts up his fists. I raise mine and immediately dodge a swing.

"Kaiyo! Careful! That almost hit him!" Kairi yells.

"That's the point!" Kaiyo yells back with a smile. I take this opportunity to trip him to the ground. "No fair!" he laughs. "I was talking to _your _girlfriend!"

I offer him my hand, "Yeah, I know. She's pretty distracting, huh?" He takes my hand and pulls me to the ground with him and then jumps up himself. I laugh.

"That was cheep!"

"Then don't offer to help me up!"

I trip him again, "You talk too much! And being on the ground works just as well for me."

"So what you're telling me is, is that you wouldn't mind being laid out?" he challenges, pinning me to the ground with flawless effort.

"Actually…" I roll him over and pin _him_. "I prefer the top!"

"Well, you're not getting any from me!" he laughs and jumps to his feet with cat-like reflexes. I jump up and before I know it, he has me in a head-lock.

"No fair!" I work to turn away from him, then flip him over my shoulder onto his back.

"Not bad, Fisch!" he smiles and jumps to his feet again.

Finally Kaiyo sends a swift kick to my head, sending me to the ground in a split-second dodge to where he just nicked me. "Okay! I'm done! That was a little too close for me!" I yell, laughing, followed by Kaiyo himself.

"Okay!" he yells and offers me a hand. "Not bad… Who taught you?"

**Author's Note: Alright! 3 chapters left! I hope you enjoy the finale! Please don't forget to review!**


	28. Setting Up

**CHAPTERXXVIII: SETTING UP**

**Kaiyo's POV: ****Set Up**

"Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"You know who it is."

"I have an idea, and if I'm right, which I know I am, you better have a good reason."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

"Are you going to tell me HOW you got out of jail?"

"I think you can use your imagination," I smirk, holding the phone to my ear, relishing this attitude I'm getting.

"Bastard"

"Oh, ow…"

"Shut the hell up."

"Ok, if you don't want to hear the news about Kairi, then I guess I can just hang up," I start to close the phone, but hear a voice call out.

"KAIYO!"

I put it back to my ear, "Yes?"

"WHAT about Kairi?"

"She just broke up with Sora, that's all. She really wants to see you now."

"No way I'm going there by myself."

"Then bring our parents."

"Fine…"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you then."

I hang up and flip the phone up again and dial a new number. "Hello?" A voice answers me."

"Yeah, uh… This is Kaiyo… Kairi's brother if you don't remember…"

"You talking about Red?"

"Yeah, well… she wanted me to call you because she and Sora broke up…"

"They did?"

"Yeah. She wants to see you tomorrow. At the beach. Sort of a date type thing."

"Wait… She does?"

"Yeah. She's really excited about it. You'll be there, right?"

"YEAH!"

"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow about the time."

"Bye!" I hear and then a dial tone.

**Kairi's POV:**

"Kaiyo? What was that all about?" I ask after watching him come out of the bathroom.

"What was what?" he asks blankly.

"Nothing…" I say, shaking my head. _"He borrowed the phone he gave to Sora… talking in the bathroom… Sora and I broke up? What?_

"Yeah…" he tosses me the phone and disappears.

I immediately pull up the recent calls in and out. Two numbers without names pop up first. _"Do I…? Who would answer?"_ I close the phone and head to Selphie's room, plopping down on the bed again. "Hey, Selphie…"

"Yeah, Kairi?" she calls from behind her desktop.

"Is Kaiyo acting funny to you?"

"Kairi, he's always been confusing to me…"

I giggle, "Right. You DO kind of have to get used to him…"

She giggles, too, "But are you done being mad at Riku so I can really date him?"

I sigh, "I think him saving MY boyfriend's life is a good enough apology. I'm sure Sora would agree, too."

I hear her sigh and the chair squeak in protest as she leans back, poking her head out the side of the monitor. He's so se—"

I put my hand up. "I'm quite aware you think Riku's sexy, Selph. He's MY friend, and I have a boyfriend. Please don't say that. It makes me sick…"

She giggles. "Okay… But you can't say anything about Sora!"

"Agreed," I nod and pop open a magazine, ignoring the homework due for school.

**Next Day:**

Walking to school with Sora and Selphie, we pass my old house. A sign in the front yard brings me to an immediate halt. My eyes widen at the two word advertisement. _"For Sale._ Sora!" I exclaim and point to the building where we had our first experience and only experience together so far.

"Wow…" he comments.

"Who put it up for sale, I wonder…" Selphie questions.

"The government?" Sora offers.

"It wasn't vacant that long," I discard.

A family enters the house. A husband, wife and little boy. And by the looks of the wife, it looks like that little boy won't be the only child much longer.

Tears fill my eyes. The house doesn't look so big and lonely with a family like that surrounding it!

The husband wraps his arm around the back of his wife as she holds the girl's hand. The realtor unlocks the building and steps inside.

A tug on my hand jerks me back to my own business.

"We're gonna be late, Kairi," Sora coaxes. We can stop by later to check it out more.

I nod, "Okay. But Sora," I start after picking my pace back up beside the two. "Last night, on the phone he gave you, but borrowed back, Kaiyo was talking to someone. I don't know who, really…"

"Okay…?"

"He told however it was that we're through and that I wanted to see them. I'm still not sure who, but I think it was someone at school."

"So?"

I sigh, "So, he has a reason for LYING like that. Maybe we should keep a bit of distance today, just in case."

"That's probably one of the weirdest things you've ever said to me," he laughs.

"Get used to it, bub," I tease.

"I don't like that one, though…" he complains.

I kiss his cheek, "Just part of ONE day. Not even the WHOLE day. PART of it.

"Okay. But only for you," he smiles.

"Good enough," I nod.

A block from school, I reclaim my hand and let him go before me, following at a further distance. It'll be hard with how many classes we have together, though.

Walking into English, I grab a seat on the opposite end of the class, staring at Sora to see what he plans to do. A glance shows his acknowledgement, so I nod in return. _"I'm trusting you on this, Kaiyo!"_

School drags on without Sora. And so does my attitude. It's miserable without him… After fourth period, headed to fifth, Sora and bump shoulders. I turn to him as he leads me outside.

"Sora?" I ask, watching my back to make sure no one's following. He grabs my hand and brings me to face him.

"Why are we doing this again?"

I giggle, "I don't know. Kaiyo never said anything to me, but I'm just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, you know?"

"I know what you're saying, but it's stupid. I miss you," he whispers softly as he pulls me into his embrace. "Say this is stupid."

I smile and lean into his ear, "It's my brother. Of course it's stupid," I lean back to smile at him. "Your making us late."

"I can afford to skip one period. We can… escape our little game. You _did _say that it wouldn't be ALL day."

I giggle. How can I refuse? He's so cute… "So what did you have in mind?" I ask, turning around and leaning back into him. His arms wrap around my waist and hold me close, making me feel secure and safe.

"I could tell you, but I might get slapped," he teases, making me giggle again.

"You wouldn't and you know it," I reason.

"Still a fun thought to play with," he smiles as he lets me go. I turn around to face him and tug on his beltloops.

I land a quick peck on his lips. "I love you…"

"Then why do you do this to me?" he whines.

"Because…" I add seductively. "Seperation's good for a relationship every now and then."

"For the physical relationship," he whines again.

"We have a physical relationship," I retort, a bit shocked.

"Yeah… But not very often."

"Often enough to get us into trouble," I warn.

"It's begging for trouble from the thought," he smiles wryily.

"Why don't we head to class?" I propose and start to back away.

"Kairi…" he whispers and pulls me back. "You've been teasing me all day…"

"You want a tease?" I ask, a nasty idea popping into my head. I lean back to whisper into his ear again. "I'll give you a tease." I nibble at his earlobe as my hand hooks into the front of his pants.

He grabs my face. "That's… not nice," he sighs huskily and kisses my neck just below the ear.

"No pirrana marks!" I giggle as I pull away. "I was just teasing you!"

He coaxes me back by hooking his arms around the small of my back. "I told you that wasn't nice…"

I giggle at his oneriness and try to push him away, "I was proving a point!"

"Well you got it across," he answers as he lets me go. "So let's go to the gym and play some basketball."

"Do we chance going back inside before next period?" I ask. "We could stay out here…" I offer.

"You were just against that!" he scoffs.

"What can I say? I'm a tease," I smile wryly.

He pulls me back in to land a kiss on my lips. I kiss him back especially when he snakes his tongue in my mouth.

He works his hand up the front of my shirt until he finds the first button to undo. I allow him with the exception that he only undo the first few buttons that allows a hole just big enough for his hand to fit through.

I pull away from his embrace. "I thought you didn't mean to touch me. That's what you said from the very beginning."

"And you told me it was okay. I didn't violate you. If I am now, you're too late," he smiles. "I'm already lost."

I kiss him again and slip my hand down his pants, making him jump. "Lost is only the beginning," I warn and withdrawal my hand from his face and manhood. "At least you never have to 'relieve yourself' anymore," I giggle.

"Hey, I never—!" he exclaims, but I put a finger to his lips with a smile.

"I don't care. I don't ever want to forget you. I always want to remember you the way you were when you came and got me from my own wedding."

"That never happened, Kairi…" he answers, lowering his head.

My hand caresses his cheek again, "Something DID happen. You came to get me when it was impossible. You interuppted a royal wedding for me. I want to remember the fear on your face. You were afraid you were too late. You were afraid you'd lost me." I close my eyes, remembering his face. "Sora… Don't ever change that. If you stop loving me… I'll die."

**Author's Note: Okay, two chapters left. Well, one really. Chapter 30 will be more of an epilogue than anything. XD I hope you've all enjoyed the story!**


	29. Climax

**Chapter XXIX: ****C****limax**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH, FinalFantasy, SquareEnix, or Disney. I just use their characters. I LOVE YOU SORA! Ahem… Sorry for that. Back to the story…**

**Kaiyo's POV: ****Unfold**

I wave at Kairi as she walks out of school. "C'mon!" I yell, cupping my hands around my mouth.

She jogs over with a puzzled look on her face. "What is it?"

"You're tired of Seifer, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then come with me!" I grab her hand and take off running to the beach.

"What are you doing?" She asks me. "Why did you tell whoever you were on the phone with this morning that Sora and I broke up?"

"Quit asking questions, Kairi. Trust me. _I just hope Kazuo doesn't smell a rat. Other than normal, that is…_" I look out at the horizon. The boat nears. _They should be on that…_ I check the time. _"Seifer should be here just in time…" _I look again toward the shack, to the secret place, and around at some familiar faces walking the beach. _"Gang's here okay…"_

"This better be good!" I hear from behind and spin around to see Seifer. "What do you want?" he asks Kairi. I nudge her to give me support.

"What do you think it's about?" she asks him in return.

"Your BROTHER told me you wanted to see me."

She cocks her head. "Because I broke up with Sora, right?"

"I don't know. Did you?"

"U-Yeah…"

"So you DO want to see me?" he asks cockily and leans back, checking her out.

"_10 minutes… 10 minutes," _I tell myself just as the fairy docks and people start off the connecter.

She spins on me. "You told him I wanted to see him?!" I look into her eyes, not seeing any real anger, but rather a cover. "I hate you! I'm so embrrassed!" She looks away, oddly blushing.

"That's what you told me. You've always had a crush on him, though I don't see why."

"Hey, smarta!" he rejects. "I LIKED Sora."

"Well, look who we have here…" Kazuo sneers as he walks into our little circle, mom and dad right behind him. "The slut and the runaway."

"_15 minutes… 15 minutes for his time…"_

"Finally come to your senses?" he asks Kairi. "I can forgive you for sleeping with that b."

"Who are YOU?" Seifer asks.

"Kairi's fiance. Who the h are you?"

"Kairi's next boyfriend," Seifer answers.

Kairi looks at me with wide eyes, suddenly figuring out why she and Sora 'broke up', why Seifer's here, why Kazuo's here, and she's soon going to find out the rest. This is just the scratch of the surface.

"What the f?! We're getting married!" Kazuo exclaims getting very irritated.

"Kairi, when this starts," I whisper in her ear, "I want you to run away. Don't watch, just go. Go to Sora's house, go anywhere. Just know that they aren't going to bother you anymore."

"What?" she asks. "Why is mom and dad here?"

"They're not going to hurt you anymore. Go. Now!" I say as soon at the first punch is thrown. "5 minutes."

"What?"

"Go!" I exclaim; she takes off sprinting, looking over her shoulder at me. _"Please don't watch…"_

"What is she worth to YOU?!" Kazuo asks.

"You know d well!" Seifer retorts back.

I start to head backward to watch from a safer distance as my plan unfolds like magic.

As predicted, Seifer throws himself onto Kazuo for a final strike when the final strike is on him with a swift shank to the stomach. I close my eyes to try and not watch the gore. Despite it being my idea, it still doesn't make me happy. But this guy's intentions were begging for this…

He staggers backward as the blade of the knife pulls out and jabs back into his torso. The boy drops to his knees with a groan.

"You still want her?" Kazuo asks as he takes his last breath. He looks up and around.

"Where is she?" he asks me.

"You think I'd let her see you kill the boy she was hoping to be with?"

"Excuse me?" he asks, annoyed, walking up to me, bloody knife wagging in my face.

"_Refrain. Refrain…"_

"Kazuo…" Dad warns. "If you kill him—"

"Then the throne with most definitely be mine!"

"Kill him, Kazuo," mom ushers. "His life is pointless now. He wouldn't get the throne if he begged."

"What about Kairi?" I ask. "Shouldn't she be free?"

"She is free! Imagine what she could have if she married me!" Kazuo announces. "She could do anything and get away with it. We WILL be the LAW."

"That's a messed up law," I scowl; A swift movement of his knife and quick judgement on my part moves my head out of the way for a flying dagger to pass by my throat into Kazuo's like the matrix. He stumbles to the side to feel the handle of the injected weapon.

"What is this?" he chokes out.

"I guess I just think of everything," I say lowly, closing my eyes again.

He starts to choke, unable to swallow his own blood and falls to the ground, dropping his own knife.

"How dare you!" mother cries. "We loved him!"

"You love everything that is bad," I say, shaking my head as tears pour out my eyes. "You incapable of loving what is good. Your own daughter and son… You're selfish, greedy and power hungry. The road ends here for you."

"What are you babbling on about?" she demands.

A presense becomes very dominant behind me. "Take it, Xakk…" I say, giving the order and turn around, walking off. _"It's done…"_

The rush of the gang passed my shoulders to the adults tries to coax me to turn around to watch more of the blood and gore, but no… I can't watch the slaughter of the two people responsible for my existance.

Their cries reach my consciouness. Tears continue down my face. _"It has to be done…"_ I tell myself, pulling out my phone.

"_911"_

"Officer… There's been a gang attack on the beach… As far as I know there's two to four dead already…"

"What's your name?"

"My name's not important. Take care of that gang…"

"What relation do you have for this tip?"

"Ex-gang member. Ex-leader to be exact…"

"Thank you, sir. We're on it!" they exclaim and hang up. Sirens behind me, headed away in the direction of the beach. I flinch. _"No more…"_

I open the front door to find Kairi and Sora talking. They look up at me from the floor where they're sitting and playing cards. I give them a smile. "We're done. For good. We're okay now."

**Author's Note: Well, that's it! I'll wrap it up in the last chapter's epilogue, so I really hope you will give me your thoughts. Please review!**


	30. Epilogue

**Chapter XXX: ****Epilogue**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts of FinalFantasy.**

**Kairi's POV: **** The End**

I step out of the car and wait for Akio to get out of the backseat as I stare at the big house. _"I can't wait to really start our life in our very first house all our own!" _I think as my hand gravitates into the little boy's; I place my free hand over my stomach. _"I hope this is the one. She's due in just two months. What would we do with a toddler and a new born baby in an apartment?"_ Trailing up the sidewalk, Sora's voice draws me back to the architecture.

"You realize what house this is, right?" he asks, wrapping his arm around my waist.

I look back up at him. "What house?"

"Well… The new trees and paint job make it a little less easy to remember, I guess. But I'm surprised you didn't recognize it from the address. Kairi, this is the house you grew up in."

I halt. "It is?!" I exclaim, almost horrified.

He laughs, "Yeah," as he rubs my back, trying to calm my nerves.

The realtor laughs as well, "It is? The last family who lived here said it was a complete mess."

"I don't have good memories," I explain to her politely. "I just can't believe I never realized," I add, awestruck.

"They've done a lot to it," Sora notes, "The owners before it changed it a lot."

"They sure did," I whisper.

"Mommy!" Akio exclaims and jerks free of my grasp, running up the stairs as soon as we enter the front door. He stares down to us from the top, waving his hand frantically at the hallway. "Mommy!" he squeals. "Come up! Daddy!"

"Akio!" I giggle. "C'mon! You know better than to take off running! We have to look at the rest of the house before the upstairs." In vain I add, "Come on!", for he's already down the hall up there, calling to me again.

"Look, mommy!" he cries. "It has two bedrooms up here!"

I trail up the staircase to my old room. "Yes, Akio, I know," I coax, irritation building in me by his defiance. "Mommy used to have this house."

"Really?!" he cries.

I sigh, "Come on, buddy. Daddy's downstairs."

"Okay!" he exclaims, zooming down the staircase now. I follow slower behind and meet them at the foot.

"Hey, mommy?" Akio asks, AGAIN.

"Yes, Akio?" I reply, AGAIN.

"Is uncle Kaiyo moving in with us?"

"No, honey. He's very busy. He's a king, you know. He has a responsibility to stay there."

"But I miss him!"

"We all do, sweetie," I say, grabbing Sora's hand and entering the big master bedroom where I'd found my mother sleeping so often. I close my eyes. _"If Kaiyo hadn't done what he did for us those few years back, I don't think I would be sleeping so well, much less with Sora and our two kids here with me."_

"Hey, look!" Sora points over to a large mirror. "It doesn't look so lonely here now that a family's in it, huh?"

I turn to face him. "Not with our family. We have something my mom and I never had. At least… on her side." I squeeze his hand in mine.

"Your mom loved you," he says softly.

I shake my head. "No. She would lock me in my room when she got angry with me. The only time she 'loved' me, was when I was doing something for preparation for being the princess. Something I thought I wanted when I was a little girl."

"EVERY little girl wants to be a princess," he smirks.

"But my prince charming was here," I wink softly and kiss him. "I wasn't about to let you get away."

"Oh, really?" he asks. I look down at Akio, who's watching us intently as we banter together about our past. I smile down at him and send him to look at the rest of the house.

"Don't go getting a big head," I warn, pushing him with my hand. He grabs it and draws me up against his body.

He whispers huskily in my ear, "You know I would never do that."

I smile and kiss his neck, feeling the very defined muscles in his arms through his shirt from training in the Academy. "Just keeping you in check, Officer."

He grabs my hand in his, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear with the other while keeping his eyes on mine the entire time. "That's against the law," he smirks. Trouble rings in his tone.

I pull away before him and wink. "But you like this room? You should check out the bathroom and closet."

A puzzled looks crosses his face before jumping to the one of the doors in the room, revealing a large closet big enough to be called a small bedroom. He awes over it before opening the other door to divulge the master bathroom, complete with two sinks, a two-person stand-up shower, bathtub with jets, and a privacy door for even the toilet. I touch the molding on the counters as tears meet my eyes.

"The detail of this old house is amazing, don't you think?" I ask.

He spins around and looks at what I'm talking about. "Heck yeah. Are those angels?"

I nod. "They were also on the frame of my bed upstairs. When I was young and locked up there, I used to imagine I was one of them and I could just fly away."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that before when we were friends?" he asks.

I shrug. "It was my secret. If I was taken from my mom, I couldn't be a princess anymore. And by the time I knew what that meant, I had already accepted the responsibility. I think that's why I begged you for that chance. I saw it was the best way out…"

"Are we wasting our time looking at this house, Kairi? Do you just want to leave?" he asks, worried about my well-being.

I shake my head. "No. I love this house. I always have."

"Even so, bad memories like that can ruin anything."

I shake my head again, "I wouldn't change it if I could. Because even if I wasn't happy then, I am now. And I can have the chance to show this house, and perhaps even mom, that I can love. That this house isn't beyond having a happy family in it."

"It's just a building."

"I know," I sigh and turn to face him, keeping my face just inches from his. "And maybe I'm putting too much on something so materialistic. But I didn't even recognize this place. It's changed. I've changed. I want… I want to raise our family in it. I really feel like this is the one."

"And what about Akio and Miyu?" he asks me.

I look around a shush him. "He doesn't know her name yet."

"Right. Sorry," he blushes and lowers his voice to a whisper. "Aren't you worried about them with that balcony?"

I think about how easily I could have just jumped off that thing with Kaiyo if I weren't so afraid of heights. "If we raise them right, we won't have to worry."

"But what about them falling off? Joking around at a young age and them falling through the railing?"

"We can save that room for Miyu, and before she's born, you can redo the railing so that that can't happen."

"I guess."

"And we'll keep it locked from the outside until she gets a certain age."

"Whatever you say," he shrugs. The realtor knocks on the door and we exit the bathroom.

"Have you seen what they did to the kitchen? All new floors, counters…"

I follow her to the large room and notice so much more cabinet space, and pantry space. My jaw drops as I take in the dark chestnut wood with not as great molding on it because of the fact that it wasn't hand carved into it. My hand caresses one of the backs of the barstool chairs. "Amazing," I note. "It's even more beautiful than before, don't you think?" I ask Sora.

"It's definitely really original and custom made. It even has the angels in here."

"But it's not the complete original molding."

"Oh, I can imagine that the original ones rotted at some point. The bathroom's almost due for the same thing."

I nod, noticing that from before, too. "They did a great job matching it, though. They must've looked forever." I feel the marble countertop. "I absolutely love it, Sora," I announce for the realtor to hear and just in time for Akio to come running in.

"Daddy! Mommy! The back yard has a tire swing!" he declares.

I turn to Sora. "You can't turn us both down," I wink.

He turns to the realtor. "Okay, so what's this thing going for? They love it. I love it. When can we move in?"

"Just after you sign the papers," she smiles.

That night after my head hits the pillow, my mind goes back to a familiar dream. Sora and I really took that raft together, and all that raft was, was just a journey through a fire that set on top of water. Relief just under the surface, but can I survive the flames? We took a journey, and we made it out alive, and stronger and happier than 

ever before in that case. Because, without that fire there, then the water wouldn't have meant anything at all. What would've happened if we never took that raft?

**Author's Note: Well, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I should actually be putting another story up here shortly as well… Unrelated to this story, but still Kingdom Hearts (I went through a MAJOR KH phase) Anyway, guys, you need to read it! It will be called Anomie Rising, but first you have to review this story! Love you guys! Peace out!**


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